A New Power: Beyond the Veil of Time
by Imperial Acclamator 119830
Summary: Part One of the 'A New Power' Series. The Charmed Ones have been killed, and their powers have passed to Harry and Hermione. Now, armed with these new powers, the Order of the Phoenix prepares to end Voldemort's reign of evil once and for all.
1. Unlimited Power

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-.-

_It has been five years since Harry Potter and the so-called 'Golden Trio' graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Since then, the war against the forces of darkness led by the most power dark wizard in recent memory, the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort, has raged across Britain. There have been significant casualties on both sides of the conflict. Voldemort, however, has so far remained largely elusive. _

_The Ministry of Magic, once the guiding force for freedom and independence in the magical world, has grown more totalitarian in its doctrines and policies, introducing new and harsh laws. The most recent, dubbed the Anti-Muggleborn Decree, has effectively outlawed Muggleborns from magical society. They have been banished to the Muggle world. Instituted as a safety measure to ensure the continued purity of magical blood, the law has done little more than cause increased unrest amongst the magical population. _

_Hogwarts School has declared itself independent from the Ministry of Magic. Headmaster Dumbledore has resolutely refused to ban Muggleborns from attending classes at the school and has long fought to repeal the law to no avail. _

_The war itself continues to rage. Losses are mounting and neither side seems any closer to victory. But a terrible happening in San Francisco, California might just tip the balance of power in the favor of the good side. _

-.-

**A NEW POWER**

_**BEYOND THE VEIL OF TIME**_

-.-

**Chapter 1**

**Unlimited Power**

-.-

Harry Potter rode the rotating spiral staircase hidden behind a large statue of a Griffin to the large oak doors of the office of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He knocked on the door, two quick raps.

"Enter," came Dumbledore's voice from beyond the door. Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" he asked.

"Ah, Harry! Yes, come in, come in. Take a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No... no thanks, Professor." Harry responded, sitting down in one of the large armchairs in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Ah, well." said Dumbledore taking a seat behind his desk and gazing at Harry. He sighed and continued. "What I am about to tell you is very important, Harry." He looked around the office as though to make certain no one was listening in. "Our lead scientist is currently working on a new potion which, when drunk, will protect the drinker from the Unforgivable Curses."

"Sir, that's wonderful! With that..."

"Please, Harry, let me finish. Unfortunately, Lord Voldemort has discovered this and he wishes to capture our scientist and force her to create the potion for him and his Death Eaters. As such, I am requesting that you protect our young scientist from harm. Were she to be captured or killed, the consequences would be more terrible that you can possibly imagine."

"Alright," said Harry. "I'll do it. Who is she?"

"Oh, I think you'll remember her. she was a good friend in school. Ms. Hermione Granger?"

"What!" Harry exclaimed, leaping from his seat. "You expect me to... are you... NO!"

"Harry, you must!"

"I can't! She hates me."

"Ah, yes. The Anti-Muggleborn Decree. Yes, I remember her anger at your decision."

"I knew she would be. She thinks I betrayed her!"

"In a sense, you did. Why don't you just tell her?"

"What? Tell a girl who has despised me for five years that I'm in love with her? And that's why I practically kicked her out of the magical world... only to find out that she's in just as much danger as she was then?"

"Precisely!" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Now, will you do this? Will you guard Ms. Granger?"

"No, I won't, and there's no way you're making me do this!"

-.-

"I can't believe he's making me do this..." Harry muttered as he strode to the door of an old manor house. The dwelling was situated far from any other population centers in the center of a wide open field surrounded in all directions by a thick forest. It really didn't seem like a place where Hermione would want to live.

He knocked on the door. He heard the sound of shuffling feet, a click, and the door opened. Harry's jaw dropped. Harry hadn't seen Hermione in nearly five years. He had expected her to be a much younger version of Professor McGonagall, given her desire for reading and research. What he saw, however, was nothing of the sort. Hermione's hair, which had always been horribly bushy, was now slightly wavy and much longer. Her sparkling hazel eyes, which had once been chocolate brown, intrigued him. Her figure was nice too. So nice, in fact, that Harry found himself staring. That is, until Hermione cleared her throat.

"Well? Are you going to come in or stand there with your eyes out of you head?" Harry looked up at once.

"I... uh..." Hermione pushed the door open wider and Harry entered. The door closed behind him with a snap.

"So..." Harry began nervously

"Look," Hermione interrupted him. "You don't like me, and I sure as hell don't like you, and despite what Dumbledore thinks, I'm quite capable of defending myself. Unfortunately, I can't convince him of that. So, to satisfy the Order, I'm letting you stay here. Let's just keep out of each other's way, and there won't be any problems."

"Hermione, I..."

"I don't want to hear it! Your room's upstairs, third door on the right. Get settled in. Meanwhile, I've got some research to attend to. I'm not to be disturbed. She turned on her heel and left him alone. Harry dragged his trunk upstairs, and dropped it on his bed. He sighed. The room was nicely decorated, and while the colors weren't exactly what he would have chosen, he could live with it.

Harry decided to explore the rest of the house. He wandered from room to room, up and down staircases, through hidden doors, and concealed corridors. Several time, he got the sinking suspicion that the rooms randomly changed position, as he had entered a room on the third floor that he could have sworn he'd already been in on the first floor. However, when he returned to check, the room had been replaced by a broom cupboard. He finally came across the kitchen, and, unfortunately, Hermione.

"Hungry?" she asked when she saw him.

"No." Harry said shortly. He strode over to her and looked into the cauldron under which a fire burned. "What're you making?" he asked.

"Something you'd be very interested in." she told him.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's a potion used to block Unforgivable Curses."

"Dumbledore told me about that," Harry said. "He said Voldemort wanted it. That's why I'm here."

"Yes, well, it's not finished yet. I've been working on this for nearly four years, and I still can't get it right, but one day..." Harry's attention was pulled from Hermione's words to a piece of newspaper, lying on the table. The words, 'ANTI-MUGGLEBORN DECREE APPROVED!' titled the page. Harry picked it up and read,

_ANTI-MUGGLEBORN DECREE APPROVED!_

_Today, the Ministry of Magic has approved the Anti-Muggleborn Decree. _

_This decree will remove all muggleborn witches and wizards from the magical world. _

_All muggleborns are warned to come forward and prepare to begin their lives away from magic. _

_Any muggleborn who does not come forward will be punished severely. Anyone caught hiding a muggleborn will also be sentenced to a life-term in Azkaban prison._

Harry stopped reading and placed the paper back on the counter.

"Enjoy that, did you?" asked Hermione, who seemed close to tears.

"No... not really." Harry said. Hermione dropped a large slimy something into the cauldron and sat down, holding her face in her hands. Harry, unsure what to do, sat down beside her.

"Are... are you okay?" Harry asked. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"You have no idea what you being here is doing to me, do you?"

"I..."

"No, of course you don't. You were the best friend I ever had, Harry. The day you stood up in front of the magical community and said you fully supported the Anti-Muggleborn decree, I... it hurt, Harry. When I found out that Ron agreed as well..."

"You felt betrayed." Harry said.

"Yeah." Harry reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder. She winced.

"Mione... what did I do?"

"War wounds..." She told him. "The healers at St. Mungo's did all they could, but... I still, even now, can't move without pain. Just getting into bed hurts, but I've grown used to it."

"That's terrible." Harry said.

"Yes, but as I said, it's nothing new to me." She sighed and looked up at him. "Why did you stand for the Anti-Muggleborn decree? Did you really believe that was right? Did Dumbledore ask you... Was there any reason other than just wanting to get rid of me?"

"If I said no, would you believe me?"

"Actually, yes. I would." Harry sighed.

"No. No, I didn't believe it. I only did it because..."

"Because, what?"

"Mione... I can't tell you."

"Why not? If you don't believe in it, then why did you do it?"

"Are... are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes."

"Alright, fine. I… I supported it because..." At that moment the cauldron behind them exploded.

"Not again!" Hermione exclaimed. "That's the third cauldron I've blown up today!" She and Harry cleaned up the mess together. When they were done, it seemed that Hermione had more things on her mind than Harry's reasons for his 'betrayal' and Harry was thankful for it. He had no desire to reveal his true feelings for her. What Harry didn't realize was that Hermione _hadn't_ forgotten. She was merely waiting for Harry to decide he wanted to tell her, not because she asked him.

Hermione went back to making her potion. Harry sat down at the table and propped _Quidditch through the Ages _open against a milk jug. He found that his eyes drifted to Hermione more than was natural as he sat there reading. He mentally shook himself.

'Stop _doing_ that!' he though angrily. His eyes locked on her again, and this time, she noticed.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Nothing..." Harry muttered.

"No, really."

"Well... I was just admiring you." Harry said, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Your... your skill in potion making, and passion for magic."

"It's nothing special," she told him, sprinkling some salt into the bubbling cauldron. "You could do it too... if you tried."

"I'd rather have you do it." Harry said. "You look sexy when you make potions." Harry choked. "Did... did I say that out loud?" Hermione nodded, smiling.

"Oh... damn..."

"Nothing to feel bad about, Harry. it's just an observation."

"Way more than an observation." Harry muttered. He didn't know if Hermione had heard him, but if she did, she didn't say anything.

"So..." Hermione began. "How are you and Ginny doing?"

"What? Dumbledore doesn't keep you informed? Well, Ginny and I... aren't together anymore."

"Really?"

"Yeah... she ran off two years ago... to be with Draco."

"Yeah, well... what do you expect from a girl who's breasts come with a receipt?"

"Hermione, please. We were together for three years. You never did approve of our relationship, did you?"

"Honestly? No, I didn't. I thought she would do something like that. She was never satisfied with one man." Harry laughed.

"Maybe we should warn Draco."

-.-

_Harry dove forward, knocking Hermione out of the path of a jet of green light. _

_"Keep still." Harry told her. _

_"Come out, Harry! Come out so I can kill you!" Voldemort taunted. _

_"I'll distract him, Harry. Not long... just long enough. Hurry!" Harry hurried ducked behind the upturned dining table and dashed into the kitchen. Hermione shot a jet of red light at Voldemort. He deflected to disarming charm unconcernedly. The Dark Lord continued moving toward Hermione's hiding spot. Harry had snuck behind Voldemort. Harry fired off a disarming charm. Voldemort, his focus on Hermione, failed to deflect it. His wand slipped from his grasp and fell into Harry's hand. Hermione stood up, watching. _

_"Harry, Harry, Harry... You think I need my wand? You fool..." He conjured a sword which spun rapidly, end over end, and then drove itself through Hermione's chest. _

Harry screamed, and woke with a start, still screaming. He leapt out of bed and hurried down the hall to Hermione's room and shook her awake.

"Harry... what's wrong?" Harry reached down and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh... okay..." Hermione said, smiling slightly. "Harry..."

"Bad dream..." Harry muttered. "_Very _bad dream."

"What happened?"

"Voldemort attacked. Here! He... he killed you." Hermione sighed.

"Harry, you know as well as I do that Voldemort wants to kill me, and he'll be doing everything he can to accomplish his task. But... but it was just a dream."

"Yeah, but it might have been a dream about the future and..."

"Harry, you don't have dreams about the future."

"Well... I haven't before, but I guess I could start, couldn't I?"

"I don't know," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Maybe, I mean it's definitely possible, but still unlikely."

"It was probably nothing." Harry said, more to calm himself than anything.

"We should get back to bed." Hermione told him, gesturing toward the digital clock on the bedside table, which exploded then froze, mid-explosion. Harry turned toward her, a shocked expression on his face.

"How...?" he asked.

"I have no idea." Hermione said blankly.


	2. Apocalypse

-.-

**Chapter 2**

**Apocalypse**

-.-

"Maybe we should go see Dumbledore." Harry suggested after Hermione had blown up the clock, Harry's pillow, three windows, a teapot, microwave, and coffee maker.

"I suppose we should." Hermione muttered, sweeping the remains of the coffee maker into a trash bag, careful to keep her hands aimed at the floor. Harry and Hermione Apparated to the village of Hogsmeade and quickly walked up to the magical school.

"Enter." Dumbledore said when Harry knocked on his door. Harry pushed the door open.

"Professor," he said. "We've got a bit of a problem..."

"What kind of problem?" Dumbledore asked, rummaging in his cloak for a lemon drop.

"Well... Hermione here blew up a clock... with her hand, and then froze it in mid air. Show him." Hermione waved her hand uncertainly at one of the Headmaster's spindly tables. It exploded, sending shards of wood flying in every direction. Then the shards froze in place. Harry restored the table with a wave of his wand. "You see? She just waves her hands and..." He made a sort of exploding gesture at one of Dumbledore's tickling metal instruments, which flew off the desk and clattered into the stone wall.

"I..." Harry muttered, unable to understand quite what had happened. Just then, the office door burst open and Professor McGonagall hurried into the room.

"I have terrible news," she said. The horrified expression on her face chilled both Harry and Hermione to their very cores. "The Charmed Ones... are dead." Hermione gasped at this announcement, and Harry simply looked stunned.

"Ah," said Dumbledore, his eyes widening with sudden realization. "I see it now. It seems... that the Charmed Ones powers, some of them at least, have passed on to you. It seems odd, though, that you two would receive their powers, and not their children."

"Albus..." Professor McGonagall said. "It was not only the sisters that were killed. The demonic attack also claimed the lives of Piper's two children and their Whitelighter."

"This is terrible news, indeed." Dumbledore said sadly. "Harry, once Voldemort discovers what has happened he will do everything in his power to destroy you. My orders for you to protect Ms. Granger at any cost are now your top priority. If Voldemort captures her he'll learn everything. Spell and potion research, the headquarters of the Order..."

"I understand completely, Professor." Harry said seriously.

-.-

August soon faded into September and Harry and Hermione were brought into the relative safety of the magical school. Dumbledore continued to pressure the two to practice using their newly acquired powers and controlling their emotions. The headmaster also requested that Hermione begin teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. And so, on the first day of classes, Hermione would be teaching the seventh years.

Hermione opened the door and strode into the classroom, stopped at her desk and turned to face the class.

"Let me tell you now," she began in a very serious tone. "That you will not have an easy time in this class. I am going to insure that this will be the most difficult class you'll ever have. You see, there are evils out there… Evils that no amount of schooling, reading, studying, learning, or practicing can prepare you for.

"As you all know, the Dark Lord, Voldemort is running rampant through this country. Without intensive study you'll not stand a chance against him. I guarantee that at least half of you have, in some way, been affected by the Dark Lord. As such, I plan to teach you everything I deem necessary for you to know. While you may never personally face Lord Voldemort, it never hurts to be prepared." A stunned silence met these words. The students exchanged glances with each other, but their gazes quickly drifted back to their teacher. Hermione waved her hand a glass vase, which exploded.

"Power," said Hermione, her voice barely above a whisper. "Everyone wants it, whether they'll admit it or not. Some, however, turn their desire for power into a _lust_ for power. Voldemort has become obsessed with power and control. Now, take out your wands. We'll be practicing a very special spell which, when used properly, drives away Dementors..."

By the end of the lesson, only three students had managed to produce a Patronus, but Hermione had praised the seventh years for their gallant efforts and that perhaps, by the next lesson, they too may be able to successfully conjure a Patronus. The students left the classroom, chatting excitedly and discussing what next week's lesson would be.

Harry, who didn't teach a class at the school, had wandered into Hogsmeade for the afternoon. Despite the fact that he lived at Hogwarts, which was only five minutes away from the only all-magical village in Britain, he hadn't visited the village in four years. He strolled into the Three Broomsticks pub, ordered a drink, and sat down at a table in a secluded corner. He found his mind plagued with thoughts of Hermione. Even when she wasn't around he couldn't stop thinking of her.

'I need a distraction...' Harry thought desperately. The pub door opened, and rather pretty, curly haired girl of about twenty entered. 'Damn!' Harry thought angrily. 'That's not exactly what I had in mind!' The girl bought a drink at the bar, and scanned the pub for a seat. She spotted Harry and made her way toward him.

"Still alive?" she asked, taking a seat across from him.

"Damn it, Catherine! Can't you leave and stay gone!" Harry muttered.

"Ah, but I like tormenting you." She said, a hint of mischief in her voice.

"Can you put that in a memo and title it, 'Shit I already know!'" Catherine laughed at the statement.

"No," she told him. "I can't."

"Well, can you tell me what the hell you're doing here?"

"Actually, yes. Dumbledore wanted my... special abilities, if you will. My talent for potion making. Granger seems to be having some problems with her potion, and I'm here to help. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," Harry said stiffly. "Of course not."

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm not interested in working out any feelings either of us might, and hopefully don't, still have for each other. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way. I have a meeting with the headmaster." With that, Catherine leapt to her feet and strode from the pub. Harry sighed.

"Goodbye, Kat." He muttered.

Harry returned to the castle late in the evening, making his way through the corridors quickly, hoping to avoid running into Catherine. He arrived at his room, and pushed open the door. Hermione looked up from the book she was reading, and smiled.

"You won't believe who I saw today." Harry said, laying down on the bed and sighing. Noticing that Harry was obviously upset, Hermione went to the bed and sat down beside him.

"Who?" she asked curiously.

"Catherine."

"What? I thought she was..."

"Dead." said Harry, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, so did I for a while. How she survived, I'll never know. She refuses to talk about it."

"I never knew... what happened that night?" Hermione asked.

"It's so blurry I can hardly remember. Voldemort had attacked the school. He stormed the castle walls and managed to push us back into the Great Hall. I was in a furious duel with Voldemort. I never even saw the Death Eater behind me. He drew his sword and attacked. Catherine saw it and... and leapt in front of his attack. She actually lived for several more hours. I held her as she died. I never even got to thank her... I... I really did love her."

"If you loved her so much then why do you seem to... hate her so much?" Harry laughed.

"I keep forgetting how much you missed. Well, you already know that Catherine and I had a... love-hate relationship. We couldn't get along for anything. Well, one day, Ginny trapped me in the Charms classroom... and, well she'd always had a crush on me. She kissed me, and Kat walked in and saw it. She was furious. She never forgave me, or in fact, let me tell her what really happened. I never did know why she 'died' for me. I don't suppose I ever will..."

-.-

"So, do you think you can handle it?"

"Of course, Professor. Whatever Hermione needs, I'll be glad to help."

"Thank you. It's good to have you back, Catherine."

"It's good to be back, Headmaster."


	3. Truth and Reconciliation

-.-

**Chapter 3**

**Truth and Reconciliation **

-.-

"No, no, no. I'm not surprised you haven't gotten this right yet. Look, just a pinch of that powder there." Hermione sighed as Catherine corrected her work.

"Now I remember why I never liked working with you," Hermione said playfully. Catherine said nothing.

"What's wrong, Kat?" asked Hermione as she adjusted the flame beneath their cauldron. "It may have been years, but I know you. I know that face. You're pissed."

"I'm not pissed," Catherine said crossly. "And I didn't ask for your… your… damn it, Hermione! I can't even be mad at you!"

"I should hope not," Hermione said idly. "I haven't done anything," She sighed deeply and, knowing Catherine as she did, pressed her further. "You know... you and Harry should really talk. You never gave him a chance to tell you the whole story..."

"I know what I saw, Granger!" Catherine exclaimed, dropping a bit of dragon liver into the cauldron a little harder than she had meant to. "He doesn't have to tell me anything."

"Kat, look... Harry didn't kiss Ginny, she kissed him. He had no interest in her whatsoever. He just didn't want to force her away, and hurt her feelings. He's not that kind of person. Go talk to him."

"Y... you mean he...?"

"Exactly." Hermione told her.

"All this time I've..."

"It seems so."

"I've got to go talk to him." Catherine said.

"That's a positively ingenious idea," said Hermione dryly and Catherine shoved a clipboard and potions book into Hermione's arms and rushed from the room.

Harry sat under an oak tree by the lake. He remembered sitting under this tree many times before. Just before his first encounter with Voldemort, after he'd slain Slytherin's basilisk, when Sirius died, so many times, and so many memories... this tree held so many. As he sat there staring at the lake, a beautiful, dark haired girl hurried up to him. He was shocked to notice how she looked extraordinarily like Hermione.

"Harry, we need to talk." she said nervously.

"Oh yeah? About what?" Harry responded somewhat rudely.

"Um... Hermione... well, she told me everything, and... and I wanted to say, I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions, and it destroyed our friendship... and our love." Harry gazed at her for a long moment, then said,

"I never stopped loving you, Kat. I tried. I tried so hard to forget about you, but I never could. Even when I was with Ginny, I..."

"That's not what I want to hear." Catherine told him. "I just want to know if you forgive me... for being so stupid."

"Of course..." Harry said smiling.

"Good. Now, c'mon. Hermione could use our help on that potion of hers."

-.-

"Are you certain we shouldn't tell them, Albus?"

"No, Minerva. Not after all that has happened."

"But... but they deserve to know the she's their..."

"No! Do you have any idea what it would do to them?"

"Yes, but... what about her mission? She' came back to prevent..."

"I know, Minerva. Her mission is important, but I cannot do this. It would destroy them."

"If you're sure, Albus..."

"Yes, I'm sure..."


	4. Long Held Secrets

-.-

**Chapter 4**

**Long Held Secrets**

**-**.-

"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes! This potion is impossible. There's simply no way to make it work." Harry sighed.

"Are you sure?" Hermione gave him an exasperated look told him all he needed to know.

"Yes, Harry," she said wearily. "I've done all I can, and Kat, even with her knowledge on potions, which is extensive by the way," she cast an admiring look in Catherine's direction. "Is out of options. It simply cannot be done… at least not without more advanced magic than either of us has any knowledge of."

"Damn! We were so close."

"I know," Catherine said consolingly. "But at least we won't have to worry about Voldemort stealing the potion and using it against us." She reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder. Harry gasped and slumped forward.

_Harry was plunged into a vision. He saw two blurred figures, holding a third, smaller figure, like that of a baby. He felt as though he knew then, but couldn't see them clearly enough to ascertain who they were. He felt a sudden pull and his vision changed. he was standing in Dumbledore's office. The headmaster had just told him something horrible, but what was it? He couldn't remember. Then, just as soon as it had begun, it stopped. _

"Harry! Harry! Harry, what happened!" Catherine was shaking him, and Hermione knelt in front of him, staring into his eyes with a worried look on her face.

"I... I think I had a premonition."

"You don't have premonitions, but..." Catherine began.

"Phoebe did." Hermione whispered, a look of dawning comprehension on her face. "What did you see?"

"Well, I saw two people holding what looked like a baby, and then... then Dumbledore told me something awful in his office, but I can't remember what it was."

"That's... interesting." Catherine muttered. She stood and went to a bookshelf, and began searching for a book. Harry was surprised at her reaction. It was more of a Hermione-like thing to do, going to a book for answers. Harry watched her closely as she pulled a book down from the shelf, propped it open against a bottle of butterbeer, pushed her curly, golden brown hair out of her eyes, and began to read. Her sparkling hazel eyes glanced up at him occasionally, a concerned look on her face.

Harry turned back to Hermione, who had lain down on the bed and closed her eyes. She seemed deep in thought. Harry took that moment to admire her beauty. The elegant curves of her body, and the swell of her magnificent breasts nearly caused Harry to confess his undying love for her. He held his tongue, however, and stopped staring.

For the next several hours, Catherine sifted through a large stack of Divination books. Harry sat on the bed next to Hermione, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept. He wasn't surprised she'd fallen to sleep so quickly. She always seemed to be tired and Harry knew she was terribly overworked.

"You love her, don't you?" Catherine asked suddenly. Harry looked up at her.

"Love? Love's not a strong enough word. My love for her burns with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns… What made you ask anyway?"

"Well, you're gripping her hand like your life depends on it," Catherine told him, pointing. Harry realized that he was squeezing Hermione's hand very tightly and let go, surprised that he hadn't woken her up.

"Not to mention, you used to look at me like that."

"Kat, I..."

"Harry, I'm not saying that I... that I wanted... I don't..." she sighed. "I don't want to get back together with you, that's not my point. All I'm saying is that if you really love her you should tell her. We don't know how much longer we have. If Hermione died tomorrow and you never told her how you felt..."

"Yeah, Kat…. I know. I just don't know if..."

"What? If she feels the same way? Believe me, she does."

"How do you know?" Catherine sighed.

"I'm a girl. We know these things."

-.-

The next day Harry went to Dumbledore's Office and told him about his vision. Dumbledore didn't seem shocked, and told him that if he should have any more to come and speak with him straightaway. When Harry asked if he knew what the dream meant, the Headmaster became mysteriously deaf and ushered Harry from his office.

Harry strode back to Hermione's room where she and Catherine waited for him. He paused as he pushed the door open, watching the two girls pouring over old potions books. They often reminded Harry of a mother and daughter. He didn't dwell long on this, however, and entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Hermione asked.

"Not much. He told me that it was most likely a premonition, but when I asked him what it meant... I think he knew, but just didn't want to tell me."

"Why would he do that?" Catherine said, not looking up from her book. Harry turned and gazed out of the window, out at a blood red sunset.

"I don't know, Kat. I just don't know..."

-.-

"Albus, they're going to find out on their own! Wouldn't it be better if _you _told them?"

"No, Minerva. Harry's premonition didn't reveal everything. He still doesn't know that he's... Listen, if Harry were to find out, he would be devastated. He can _never_ discover the truth."

"Never? You mean you're never going to tell them?"

"No, never."

"Albus, you must! She'll never be able to complete her mission without that knowledge. She doesn't even know why she came back! She doesn't even remember _coming _back! If she doesn't know, she'll never be able to save her..."

"Please, Minerva. I've made up my mind. Now, it's late. You should be off to bed."

-.-

The first Quidditch game of the season was rapidly approaching, and tensions between the Houses had reached the breaking point. Fights broke out in the corridors, in classes, and the Great Hall. On the day of the match, however, all was peaceful. The students made their way to the stands early on Saturday morning, and soon the match was underway. Gryffindor, who had the most amazing House team in several years, smashed the ailing Hufflepuff team three hundred eighty to one hundred twelve.

The Roaring Lions were once again on their way to winning the Quidditch Cup. Harry, Hermione, and Catherine returned to the school after the match still chatting excitedly about the match. Hermione, while still a teacher and was not supposed to support one House over another, still had to show that she wanted nothing more than a Gryffindor victory. They sat up late in the night talking, but soon Catherine chose to go to bed. As she passed Harry's seat, she gave him an oddly suggestive look and nodded toward Hermione and whispered in his ear.

"Now's the perfect time! Go for it!" Harry glared at her as she walked away. She smiled over her shoulder at him and shook her head. Harry sighed.

"Damn..." he muttered. He knew she was right. As Harry stood and moved to sit down next to Hermione, he realized he'd never been more terrified in his life, even when he faced Voldemort.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked nervously.

"Of course," Hermione said, giving him that smile of hers that made him weak at the knees.

"Okay," Harry began, suddenly feeling very nauseous. "I'm going to be very direct about this." He took a deep breath in a desperate attempt to calm himself, and took her hand in his. "I love you. I've loved you for so long I can't even remember when I started loving you. It's all I can think about. It's... it's way I chose to have muggleborns throw out of the magical world.

"I knew I'd probably never see you again, but I thought it would keep you safe. I knew that if I asked you to leave you wouldn't listen to me, so I made the only choice I could. I'm sorry, Mione, but... but, I just wanted you to have a happy, safe, magic-free life, away from all this shit I've gotten you into. Away from Voldemort, the war, and everything it carries with it." Harry stopped speaking and stared at her, waiting…

"Well… that was _certainly _direct," she said lightly.

"Hermione…"

"Harry, why didn't you just tell me? Of course, I wouldn't have left, but... Harry, all that matters is stopping Voldemort. We can never have a happy life together until..."

"Wait," Harry interrupted. "Are you saying...?" Hermione nodded. Harry reached out and pulled her closer, felt his lips brush against hers, and became lost in her.

Catherine stood at the door, watching. Harry hadn't been nearly that direct with her, but Catherine liked it that way. In all honesty, she knew that Harry had always loved Hermione, even when he'd been with her. That was one reason she'd broken it off with him. He deserved to be happy, and Hermione made him happy. She smiled to herself and eased the door closed.

Harry lay on the bed, shocked that he had, after years of waiting, confessed his love for the girl of his dreams. He looked down at Hermione, who lay beside him, her head resting on his chest. He sighed as he watched her chest rise and fall as she slept, her nightgown clinging loosely to her body. At that moment, he received another vision. This one was the same as the first one, except this time... he knew who the people were. He leapt up from the bed, startling Hermione awake. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room and down the corridor, ignoring Hermione's questions.

They raced toward Dumbledore's office, gave the password, and thundered up the stairs. He didn't bother knocking, and instead charged into the headmaster's office. They ran to Dumbledore's desk. Harry glared at Dumbledore, fury in his gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, while Hermione continued to look confused.

"Tell you what?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Why didn't you tell me that Catherine is my daughter?"


	5. Revelation

-.-

**Chapter 5**

**Revelations**

-.-

Harry stood fuming, staring at Dumbledore, who sat calmly behind his desk. Hermione looked from one to the other, utterly perplexed. Slowly, very slowly, Dumbledore nodded. Harry dropped himself into a seat, holding his face in his hands. Hermione sat down beside him, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. Harry looked up at her. Her eyes... she looked so incredibly sad that his own grief was instantly doubled. For she, like Harry, knew the seriousness of the situation.

"Why?" Harry asked, turning to stare at Dumbledore. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then said,

"I did not tell you because I did not want to hurt you."

"And you didn't think I'd ever find out! You thought you'd keep your little secret forever!"

"No! Please, Harry, let me explain. You see, I only discovered the truth three years ago, long after your relationship was over. I knew how much you cared for her, and such knowledge would distract you from your goal: Voldemort's destruction. I knew that I would, one day, be forced to tell you the whole story, but I didn't think it would be now."

"Well? What's the whole story, then?" Harry demanded. "How did she get here?" Dumbledore sighed.

"In approximately three years, Ms. Granger will give birth to your child. To Catherine. Her power will be... is... incredible. In seventeen years, I will send her back in time... to save both of your lives. Something must have gone wrong, however. She didn't remember being sent back in time. She didn't remember her family, her past... anything... So, when Professor McGonagall found her on the grounds and brought her to my office, I sensed her great power. One day, my future self visited me in my office. He told me everything. Who Catherine was, and what her mission was. It was then that I had a decision to make: Whether to tell you or not. I made the choice I thought was best."

Harry sighed and cast a glace at Hermione, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Would you ever have told me? If I hadn't had the premonition?"

"I don't know," Dumbledore confessed. "I would like to think I would have, but..."

"You would honestly have kept something like that away from me? Away from _us_?" Harry said, gesturing toward Hermione. "What would have happened once Catherine was born? She would have grown up to look just like Catherine does now! Do you honestly think we wouldn't have noticed?"

"I didn't know what would happen. I merely did what I thought was best."

Harry and Hermione returned to their room, the happiness they'd felt from finally being together, gone. Harry sat down on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Hermione took a seat beside him. He looked up at her, captivated by the look her eyes gave him. He realized he was able to see all her emotions in her eyes. He saw pain there... a lot of it. He also saw love, passion, desire... but loss was also there. Torment, anguish, and fear were there as well. How anybody could feel so much at once was beyond him, but, somehow, he understood. He leaned in and kissed her, gripping her shoulders with all his might, forcing all his feelings into the kiss. Suddenly, Hermione pulled away.

"How do we tell her?" Hermione asked, wiping a tear out of her eye.

"We just do it." Harry said. "It'll hurt her. A lot, but we don't have a choice."

"I know, I just..." Hermione paused and looked toward Catherine's bedroom. Better to get it over with, she assumed. "Catherine!" she called. Catherine's door opened and she came out of her room, dressed in a nightgown and it seemed as though she'd been sleeping.

"Yeah?" she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Kat... we, err... have something to tell you." Hermione said slowly. "It… it's not going to be east for you to hear." Catherine sat down on the bed next to Hermione and gazed at her expectantly.

"What's up?" she asked, looking from Harry to Hermione and back again.

"Well... Harry had a premonition earlier, and... well, we went to Dumbledore and he confirmed it... I could hardly believe it myself, but..."

"Spit it out, already!" Catherine exclaimed. Hermione took a deep steadying breath and continued.

"You're our daughter. Yes, I know, It doesn't make a lot of sense, and I don't understand it fully myself, but Dumbledore says he sent you back from the future to save Harry and I from dying. Somehow, something went wrong and you forgot everything. Your past... and your mission. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you this, but..."

Catherine couldn't speak. This sudden revelation had shocked her beyond belief. She gazed into Hermione's eyes, the eyes of the woman who had been her friend for years, the woman who she now knew, without any doubt whatsoever, was her mother. And suddenly, as though a light had been switched on in her head, she remembered. She remembered her life, her family, her years at Hogwarts, the war… and her parents' deaths... She hesitated for a moment and then flung herself into her mother's arms, tears streaming down her face.

"I've missed you so much, Mum!" She whispered, clinging to her mother with a vengeance.

-.-

Harry stood on the balcony of the Astronomy tower. He'd left Hermione and Catherine to themselves, dreading the moment he had to face Catherine and discuss their past... and the future. He jumped as the door to the tower creaked open.

"What are you doing up here?" Catherine asked.

"Keeping away from you," Harry muttered.

"Why?" Catherine asked, her voice cracking with sadness at Harry's words.

"It... it's not anything like that. It's just... after what happened between us, I just thought..."

"Look, I know all this is... awkward… I mean, there were those times when I called you Daddy when we were having… _relations_, but…"

"Now, see…" said Harry, shaking his head violently. "Can we please not, _not ever _mention that again?"

"Well, I'm just saying," said Catherine with a light smile. "I mean, it's not like we knew or anything."

"Yeah, I know that, but… Kat, there are just some things that a father doesn't need to know about his daughter and her sexual habits are one of many of those things, and we… we did a lot of… stuff."

"Stuff?" Catherine asked, barely able to stifle a laugh. "Really? _Stuff_? We're calling it 'stuff' now? Alright, look, if it makes you feel any better… I don't think anything thing that's happened… has to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... it's complicated. Alright, I went back into the past, with a mission to change it. If I succeed, and alter the past so that you and Mum survive and stop Voldemort then it technically won't ever have happened because I'll never have gone to the past in the first place... did that make sense?"

"Strangely, it did. God, I hate this time-travel crap... So, how are you? This is all very overwhelming, but..."

"Most of my memory is coming back now, so it's not so bad. Most of it... it only feeds my desire to change it. Look, I'm tired. I'm off to bed. You coming?"

"Uh... no, no I'll stay here for a bit longer. Tell Mione not to wait up."

-.-

"Mum! You still awake?" Catherine called into her mother's bedroom, sticking her head through the door.

"Yeah, I'm awake, Kat. C'mon in," Catherine pushed on the door open the rest of the way and flopped down on the edge of Hermione's bed.

"Hey, I was wondering..." Hermione began, taking a seat beside her daughter. "Were... were we close? In the future I mean..." Catherine looked at her mother rather sadly and sighed.

"Honestly... no. We rarely saw each other, never spoke, and sometimes... I wondered if you even cared about me."

"Was I really... that bad of a mother?" Hermione asked, a frightened and hurt expression appearing on her face.

"No," Catherine said, with a small smile. "Actually, you were the best mother a girl could ask for. Alright, let me tell you the whole story. After Dad died just after my eleventh birthday, Voldemort took over. He quickly captured the castle and declared the war over. He attacked the Ministry and set up his 'New Order' there.

"He started killing Muggleborns, Half-bloods, and Muggles. No one was truly safe. Dumbledore and other survivors split up; went into hiding until the time was right. You and I hid in the hills above the castle, in a little cabin Dumbledore had prepared for us. After Dad's death, you... started pulling away from me and everyone else as well. Soon you were working day and night. Money was scarce in a world ruled by Voldemort and we didn't have much to eat. Occasionally, I noticed I had more food on my plate than other nights. I eventually found out that on those nights, we didn't have more food, you just gave me your share and went without so I could have more.

"I grew up alone, mostly. I was already asleep when you came home at night, and you were already gone in the morning before I got up. That went on for six years. On the night of your death, you came home early. I never knew why you did it, but you did. You said you wanted to spend that one night at home with me. Even though we'd have to go without food for a while, you wanted to do it anyway. I ruined it though. I bitched about the past six years, blaming you for all my problems.

"During our fight, Voldemort came. He wanted to kill me, but you begged for him to spare me. He agreed, but he allowed his Death Eaters to do unspeakable things to you before they finally killed you. After that, I wandered around for two months, looking for Dumbledore and the remains of the Order. I finally located Dumbledore in East Africa and it was then that he sent me back here, to change everything. After your death, the magical world fell apart. With the world's most powerful witch and wizard, the one's who wielded the Charmed One's powers, dead most people lost hope.

"I didn't just come back here to stop Voldemort. I came back to give You, Dad, and myself a chance at a good life and a happy family. It's not going to happen like that again. I'm going to stop it. I don't know how, or when, but I'm going to. Even though our lives were terrible, and even though I wanted to blame you, I knew that you did love me. You died to save me, and... Well, it's about time I return the favor. Voldemort'll pay for all the pain he's caused."

"He will," said Hermione with such certainty in her voice Catherine felt that is she had said it to Voldemort himself her words would have had such power that the wizard would have dropped dead on the spot. "We'll stop him, Kat. I promise you that." She stood up and walked to the door looked quite upset.

"You okay?" Catherine asked, concerned.

"No... But I will be. You should go to bed; I've had an idea for that potion of ours I want to try." Catherine stood and walked to the door.

"'Night, Mum." she called over her shoulder.

"Goodnight, Kat." Hermione said quietly.

-.-

Harry left the tower late that night and returned to his room. Hermione was already asleep, and he moved quietly not wanting to wake her. He changed into his night things and sat down beside her, watching her intently. Harry loved watching Hermione sleep. He didn't know why, but something about it made him realize just what he was fighting for. Harry sighed and slid into bed, wrapping his arms around her. Hermione shifted, moving closer to him.

Harry slept badly. His dreams were plagued with horrible images. Harry awoke several times throughout the night and at one point he even woke Hermione just to check that she was still alive. Finally, at around five o'clock, Harry climbed out of bed and went to the balcony, allowing the cold night air wash over his body. Harry jumped as he felt a soft hand grasp his shoulder. Harry turned around, gazing deeply into her concerned eyes. No words were needed. Harry realized then that Hermione understood everything.

Somehow, someway, Hermione felt everything he felt. He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. Then and there, at that moment, nothing else mattered. Voldemort, Catherine and her mission from the future, the Order... nothing. What happened next was a blur to both Harry and Hermione. Neither of them truly knew what had happened. All Harry knew was that after the night's events, all he wanted was to be with the love of his life, and just be happy, even if it was just for a short time. And so as he lay in bed, his arms wrapped around Hermione, he wasn't worried about a single thing, even Lord Voldemort.


	6. Grindelwald

-.-

**Chapter 6**

**Grindelwald**

-.-

Hermione awoke slowly, shaking slightly from the cold. She sat up, pulling the torn bed sheets around her for warmth. The room was a mess. Ripped clothing and broken furniture lay scattered about the room. Hermione didn't remember half of those events, but at that moment, she didn't care. She looked across the bed to where Harry lay. She sighed. He looked so peaceful, his dreams undisturbed by the usual nightmares.

Hermione didn't want to wake him, for she knew that all too soon Voldemort would once again burst into their lives and end their momentary happiness. She snuggled close to him and gently ran her fingers over the marks on his back her fingernails had made the previous night. She suddenly felt a great deal of sadness at the pain she'd caused him. Harry jumped as she touched him. He rolled over to face her. He smiled.

"'Morning, gorgeous." He said, cupping her cheek and kissing her. Hermione lay down, and gazed up at him.

"You know," Harry said slyly "There's something I've wanted to ask you."

"Oh, yeah?" She asked curiously. "What's that?"

"Marry me?" Hermione gaped at him and giggled, then realizing he was serious, sighed.

"You... you're serious, aren't you?"

"Well... yeah. I know it's soon, but like you said, we don't know how much longer we have."

"I know..." Hermione whispered.

"Mione, if it wasn't for the fact that Kat came back here to help us, I'd leave right now. We could go somewhere, far away, and start a new life together, but we can't do that. The best we can do is spend what time we do have together." Hermione sighed and then smiled.

"Alright," she said. "Alright, fine." Harry let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and smiled.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed leaning in and kissing her. Hermione sighed and relaxed into the soft mattress. Harry laid his head on her chest, wishing the sheets weren't between him and her skin. Harry soon fell asleep again, but Hermione stayed awake. Harry slipped into a terrible dream. Voldemort stood over Hermione's bleeding, broken body. Hogwarts burned behind him and the bodies of hundreds of others lay scattered on the ground. Harry dimly heard Voldemort mutter a spell, and felt his life slip away as the jet of green light struck him.

Harry awoke with a start, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. He tried to stop, but couldn't. Hermione did her best to comfort him, but it was no use. Finally, she managed to calm him. He slumped forward, burying his face in her chest. He sobbed softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I... I think I just saw our deaths, Mione." Harry said.

"Kat will change all that, Harry. Whatever you saw in your dream isn't going to happen."

"Somehow... I don't think she can."

"She will, Harry. She will." Hermione sighed. "Harry... even if she fails, even if we do die and Voldemort wins... I'll be content. I love you, Harry. More than anything else in this world, and knowing, even though it was only for a short time, that we had something so special, so perfect... knowing that we have this beautiful daughter who risked everything to come back here... it's enough for me."

"I know..." Harry muttered. "I just want more..."

"What more could you want?" Harry simply shrugged.

"Time,"

-.-

"No... My master, I... I apologize, milord. I've done as you requested , but..."

"Silence, Voldemort! I do not need your incompetence hindering my progress!"

"Master, I beg you. I will succeed in my mission, I just need to get in close to the Granger girl. I can't do it quickly, but I assure you, I will succeed."

"You'd better, because if you don't all we have worked for will be useless."

"Of course. I will set to work immediately."

"Just remember. Potter and the Mudblood are very formidable since they've gained the Charmed One's powers. Be careful. If I wanted you dead I would kill you myself."

"Yes, my master."


	7. Assault on Hogwarts

-.-

**Chapter 7**

**Assault on Hogwarts**

-.-

Hermione leaned her head back, her mouth open slightly, relishing in the feeling the warm water running over her skin brought. While the touch of the water caused pain, she was able to accept it. She had told Harry that some motion caused pain, but not that every motion, every touch, every time she came in contact with something caused pain. Only God knew what he'd do if he found out.

Hermione shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She dried quickly, pulled a bathrobe around herself, and left the bathroom. Harry was still sleeping and Hermione hadn't had the heart to wake him. He'd slept so peacefully the previous night, and Hermione wanted to make sure he got a much peace as possible. Standing over him, however, was a figure. A figure with flaming red hair.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed without thinking. Ginny spun around, her wand raised.

"What the hell are you doing here!" she demanded, her eyes bulging with rage. Hermione cast a glance at her wand, which lay on a table across the room, twenty feet away.

"This is my room," Hermione said calmly. "And you happen to be intruding on my privacy"

"Oh, shut up, Granger!" Ginny bellowed. Hermione glanced from Ginny to Harry and then back to Ginny.

"What? Draco not getting the job done?"

"I never wanted that bastard! All I ever wanted was Harry, but I was never good enough for him. Even though he denied it, the only girl he ever wanted was you. He banned all muggleborns from the magical community to protect you!" Ginny leaned against the wall, and glared at Hermione. "You don't deserve him"

"No one does." Hermione said with a small smile. A jet of green light burst from Ginny's wand. It shot straight at Hermione, and exploded into wispy particles halfway to its target. Next second, Ginny's wand blew up in her hand, sending shards of wood flying in every direction.

"How did you...?" Ginny asked.

"That won't be your last mistake, Ginny." Hermione said, lowering her hand. It happened in a flash. Ginny dashed forward, gripped Hermione by the neck, reached behind her with her free hand, and placed the tip of a dagger between her shoulder blades.

"How's it feel?" Ginny asked. "Having your very life placed in another person's hands? Knowing that all I have to do is flick my wrist and you're dead?" Hermione looked up at Ginny, her eyes strangely calm.

"Do you really want to do this, Gin? Do you honestly think Harry would take you back if you killed me?"

"You are all that's standing in my way." The blade pressed into Hermione's skin. Hermione whimpered from the pain. Ginny sighed as she felt Hermione's warm blood soak her hand. Hermione's eyes locked with Ginny's for a moment. The look Hermione gave her was something Ginny had never expected. She saw forgiveness in her gaze.

Ginny felt a felt a strong force lift her of the floor and fling her across the room. She looked up and spotted Harry. He was on his feet now, standing over her, a look of intense fury on his face. He lifted her up again with a wave of his hand, and slammed her against the far wall. Catherine came running out of her room, pulling a bathrobe around herself.

"Harry, what...?" He didn't answer, but flung Ginny across the room again. Catherine fell at Hermione's side. She ran her hand over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Before she could apply pressure, however, a brilliant golden light illuminated her hand. Shocked, her covered Hermione's wound with her hand. It miraculously healed. Hermione scrambled to her feet and rushed to Harry, Catherine at her heels. Harry was lifting Ginny to the ceiling and dropping her to the floor, repeating the action over and over.

"Stop!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling on Harry's arm. "Harry, don't do this! This isn't you!" Harry finally stopped struggling and turned to Hermione.

"You... you're…"

"I'm fine, Harry. Calm down." Hermione turned to Catherine. "Could you go down and get Madam Pomfrey?"

"Of course," Catherine said, turning and hurrying from the room. Hermione knelt beside Ginny, who whimpered and looked up at her through bloodshot eyes.

"How does it feel, having your life held in another person's hands?" Hermione asked, a grim smile on her face. Hermione stood and went to Harry, who sat at the foot of the bed staring at the floor, a vacant look in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked as Catherine hurried into the room with Madam Pomfrey.

"Yeah, I... I just... I don't know what happened. I saw Ginny and I snapped. I wanted to…"

"I know, Harry." Hermione told him, resting her head on his shoulder while watching Catherine help Madam Pomfrey take Ginny to the hospital wing.

"So, how did she... how did Catherine heal you?" Hermione smiled gently

"It seems," she began, a rather proud smile appearing on her face. "That our little girl has picked up some Whitelighter powers. It's not surprising, since..." Hermione paused, looking around the room. Her gaze fell on a heavy book lying on the table. "Book!" Hermione said, extending her hand. Blue-white light consumed the tome and then it appeared in her outstretched hand.

"How...?"

"I'll explain later," Hermione told him.

"I want to show you something." Harry said, walking over to his closet and retrieving his broomstick. He moved toward the balcony, motioning for Hermione to follow him.

"Harry, you know I don't like flying." Hermione moaned. Harry simply patted the broom handle behind him. Hermione sighed and climbed on the back of the Firebolt. Harry pulled up the end of the broom and shot off into the night. Hermione held onto his arm as though if she let go the world would end. Harry could feel her shaking with fear and suddenly felt a pang of regret for asking her to come with him. Although, he thought, she had come with him despite her fear of flying. It showed the Hermione literally trusted him with her life.

For ten minutes they flew, leaving the magical school far behind. Harry set down on a beach near a small lake. The air was full with the smell of flowers and honeysuckle. The sun was just beginning to rise as they landed, casting a blood red glow over the water.  
"It's beautiful here," Hermione whispered. "Where are we?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I always used to come here when I was at the Dursley's for the summer. I just used it as a place to get away from the world, more or less."

Hermione leaned her head against Harry's chest, and soon fell asleep. Harry took her back to the castle and tucked her into bed. He knew that she stayed awake each night, just to make sure he, Harry, was safe. He was surprised she was still able to function during the day. It was then that he realized he couldn't hope to protect her. She had nearly been killed literally feet from him… He knew that he had to do something... and he knew just who to ask.

-.-

Harry slowly made his way to the door, slipped through it, and hurried down the corridor to Dumbledore's office. He knocked on the door and before Dumbledore was able to ask who it was he pushed the door open.

"Oh, Harry. It's good to see you. How can I help you?" asked the Headmaster.

"You can help me find a way to get Hermione out of the magical world, permanently."

"And why would you want to do that?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Harry sank into a chair in front of the headmaster's desk.

"I can't hurt her anymore," Harry said sadly. "I have caused her to suffer more pain than anyone should ever have to. Last night, I nearly got her killed… again… It can't happen anymore. I won't let it. I don't care how much I love her, if I have to live without her to protect her, I'll do it." Dumbledore sighed and looked Harry straight in the eye.

"Ms. Granger showed you last time that no matter what you do, she will stand with you. She is willing to suffer because she loves you, because you are all that matters to her and despite that you shipped her off, betrayed her, whatever you'd like to call it, she's still here. You couldn't get rid of her if you tried.

"What you must understand, Harry, is that Ms. Granger is a strong-willed, determined, fiercely faithful and loyal young woman. Not only that, but she is also a mother, and a very protective one at that. Catherine means the world to Hermione, and you know as well as I do that Catherine is just as strong-willed as Hermione. Neither of them can just stand by and watch the world fall apart and not do something about it. Ms. Granger had a chance to leave you. She didn't. Remember that the next time you think about shipping her off again."

-.-

Hermione awoke late Friday morning. She noticed that she wasn't in the same place she'd been when she'd fallen asleep. She assumed that Harry had returned her to the castle. Hermione dressed quickly and hurried off to her first class.

After class, Hermione hurried along the fourth floor corridor, toward the Great Hall. A gaggle of students strode along behind her heading downstairs for lunch. As the reached the moving staircases, an alarm blared throughout the castle and Professor McGonagall's magically magnified voice filled the school.

"Death Eaters have breached the castle! They were last reported on the fourth floor. Everyone should evacuate that area at once." Hermione halted and spun on the spot. She quickly ushered the students into a nearby empty classroom. They all moved to sit down as Hermione listened at the door. An explosion filled the corridor outside, followed by screams and the sounds of spells. Hermione turned to the group of students. Several seventh year girls were comforting a group of frightened first years. The rest simply sat on the floor, looking frightened. Hermione spotted two seventh years and moved toward them. She pulled them aside to speak to them privately.

"I'm going out there," she told them. "I'll need you two to watch over the others. If anyone tries to enter this room, curse first and ask questions later. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." They both said and moved to block the door. Hermione knew if the Death Eaters reached the door the two students she'd assigned to protect it didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell, but she had no other choice. She hurried out of the door and sealed it behind her. The corridor was a war zone. The staff had set up a barricade of tables, chairs, pieces of the wall that had been blasted out, and other items they had conjured, a third of the way down the corridor. Hermione had only taken two steps out of the classroom, when a seventh year student, Maria Cromwell, came striding toward her.

"Professor Granger! It's good you're here. You-Know-Who has split his Death Eaters into groups. They've already taken the Great Hall, the dungeons, All the way from the ground floor to here is theirs." Hermione looked around at the others in the corridor.

"Where's Harry?" she asked.

"He was battling the Death Eaters three floors below. We don't know what happened down there." Hermione nodded. Hermione felt a hand close around her shoulder. She turned and saw Catherine standing beside her, a grim look in her eyes.  
"He's fine." Catherine assured her. "If he wasn't still alive, I wouldn't be here now would I?" Hermione nodded worriedly and looked around for another teacher, but only saw students.

"Are there any other teachers here?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. You seem to be the only one." Maria answered.

"Of course..." Hermione muttered. "So, I don't suppose there's anyway out of here. That'd be far too easy."

"No, ma'am. It seems we're holed up in here. You-Know-Who controls the other end of this corridor, the end which contains the exit. We are trapped. Our only way out is to fight." Hermione considered Maria's words. She opened her month to speak, but Catherine beat her to it.

"No. Voldemort's too well equipped out there. He took the castle in a matter of minutes. They'll slaughter us even faster. We can't win"

"No," Hermione whispered grimly "This time... I don't think we can."


	8. The Book of Shadows: Part One

-.-

**Chapter 8**

**The Book of Shadows: Part One**

-.-

Hermione sighed, leaning against the stone wall of the fourth floor corridor. They'd been trapped there for nearly four days and tensions were reaching the breaking point. Food was scarce, limited only to the contents of a cupboard located near the History of Magic classroom. While attempts had been made to dig through the debris blocking the rest of the corridor, an action strongly opposed by Hermione due to the fact that they knew for certain that Death Eaters awaited them on the other side, very little progress had been made.

The truth of the matter was that there was no escape. In the back of her mind, Hermione knew this very well. But here responsibility to her students meant that she had to do what she could to maintain morale. She had many eleven and twelve-year-olds in her care that she had to protect. The only benefit she could see of being trapped there was that, at the very least, Voldemort did not seem to be coming for them.

-.-

Harry sighed as he sat back in a chair by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, nursing a deep gash in his forearm. The Order has taken Gryffindor Tower and converted it to a rough base of operations from which they had been staging hit and run strikes against Voldemort's forces in the school for four days and they still hadn't driven the infestation from the school. They had received several messages from the hospital wing, which still seemed to be under the Order of the Phoenix's control. He stood and went to Dumbledore's makeshift office where members of the Order were discussing their next plan of action.

"Ah, Harry. It's good you're here!" Dumbledore said. "We think we have a..." Harry cut him off.

"Is there any word from Hermione?" he asked.

"No, nothing yet. We do know that there is a group of students trapped on the fourth floor. It's possible that she and Catherine are with them. We attempted to get close enough to break them out, but... our attempts were… _less_ than successful."

"I see..." Harry said, his brow furrowed.

-.-

"That's it," Catherine whispered to Hermione three days later as she closed the food cupboard door. "We're out of food."

"It wasn't going to last forever," Hermione said. "But I had hoped..." A sudden scraping and banging on the wall of debris cut her off. Not the usual sounds made by those attempting to free them. These sounds were coming from the _opposite _side of the debris, which could mean only one thing. Death Eaters.

Signaling for the others to stop what they were doing and prepare for possible attack, Hermione backed away from the wall of debris, and ducked behind a crate. Everyone else did the same, hiding behind various objects spread about the room. They waited and waited, and still the noise continued. After about an hour, the noise stopped. An explosion ripped through the corridor, leveling the debris wall. Spells lanced out from both sides, crossed, and raced for their targets. It only took a total of ten seconds for Hermione to realize they stood no chance and order a retreat. Knowing that they could only fall back a short distance down the corridor, before they reached a dead end, Hermione pulled Catherine aside as the others ran.

"Kat, listen. I think I know why they're here," Catherine simply looked puzzled. "They want the potion."

"But we never finished..." Catherine began. Hermione cut her off.

"Yes, but they don't know that. I think I can get them to leave the school... bargain with them. If they're after the potion, they might want one of it's creators as well." Hermione gripped Catherine's hand and then pulled her into a tight hug. "Go," Hermione whispered. "I know what I have to do." And with that, Hermione leapt to her feet and darted around the crate she'd been hiding behind.

The spells stopped immediately. At least twenty black hooded Death Eaters stood before her, their faces cloaked behind masks. The Death Eaters parted and a cloaked figure moved forward. Hermione had no doubt about who this figure was. She could feel the pure evil radiating from the Dark Lord. There was a brilliant flash of white light, and Hermione, Voldemort and the Death Eaters were gone.

-.-

'The cost to reclaim the castle had been too high,' Harry thought as he sat in a chair in the hospital wing. 'No, the _defense_ of the castle had been too high. The Order never had to reclaim the school. Voldemort and his Death Eaters had simply abandoned it.'

The cost was, however, still far too high. When Catherine had told him what Hermione had done he had started to charge off after her. Only Dumbledore had been able to restrain him, telling him that he neither knew where he was going, or what would be waiting for him when he got there. Dumbledore had assured him that Hermione's rescue was the Order's top priority. As for the school, it had been closed down as it was being used as the Order's new headquarters.

Harry stared around at the wounded and dead that lay in hospital beds all through the ward. Anger coursed through his veins at the sight. He slid out of his bed and made his way to a bed at the other end of the ward. Ginny Weasley sat in bed, eating Hogwarts' finest hospital food, this is to say, it tasted like something far too stomach-turning to discuss. Pausing from her meal, she looked up.

"Harry? What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you..." Harry said, taking a seat and glancing at the bustling nurses as they tended to their patients.

"I'm sorry..." Ginny whispered, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"Sorry for what?" Harry asked, determined to hear a full apology.

"For everything, Harry." Ginny looked away from him, trying to hid the tears that had begun to stream from her eyes. "I owe you an apology... I know that much..."

"Oh, much more than an apology, Ginny. So much more." Harry interrupted.

"Alright, let me explain. Please. I loved you, Harry... I still do. When we were together, I felt... whole. But I knew that you would never be happy with me... because you always loved her. You practically chased her out of the country to protect her, but not me.

I decided I couldn't force you to be with me, not when you really didn't want to be. I made up the story about Draco, hell... honestly, I haven't seen him in years... Well, after that... I started to get... angry at the life I'd chosen for myself. Alone, no husband, no one to care about me. When I found out that Hermione was back, I just... I snapped. I wanted her to pay for taking you from me, so... I attempted to kill her." Harry simply stared at Ginny, dumbstruck, as she finished her story.

"Are you insane?" He asked. "Hermione didn't take me from you. I was with you, and yes, I did love Hermione, but I was with you and I planned to stay that way. You had one shot, Gin. You blew it to hell and that's your own fault."

"I know, I know... I just... I want to stop this... I want to help find Hermione. I want to help, not because I think it would earn me your trust or your friendship. I know any chance of that is long gone. I want to help because I do love you, and I want to see you happy. And if the only way that can happen is if you're with Hermione then that's where you'll be." Harry eyed her for a long moment.

"Fine," He said. Harry stood and went back to his bed. Ginny watched him go with a good deal of sadness in her eyes. Slowly, returned to her breakfast.

-.-

Was it Monday or Tuesday? Perhaps it was Friday? Was it even the same year? In truth, Hermione didn't know. She'd been ruthlessly tossed into a cold, dark, and windowless cell what seemed to be an eternity ago. During her waking hours she was often beaten by the bored Death Eaters that guarded her cell, and received only a single meal a day, containing four very stale crackers and a half-full bowl of week-old soup.

At night, she slept on the cold, rocky floor of her cell, falling asleep to the sounds of people screaming in agony as they were tortured and others whimpering in fear of what was to come. At times, Hermione found herself far too weak to move; barely able to eat the small amount of food she was given. Her entire body ached with many cuts and bruises, and it didn't help that more appeared every day.

She had constant headaches, the cause of which she did not know, nor did she care. She often slipped into unconsciousness. Her only escape was sleeping and even that didn't come easily. One day, a visitor came to her cell. Assuming it was merely another Death Eater coming by to beat her or rape her or some other horrible torture that the Death Eaters enjoyed, Hermione didn't even move.

This time, however, a gentle hand lifted her off the floor. She was taken from her cell and into a large chamber. The place was painted a deep greenish color and it was full of statues of snakes. The two Death Eaters placed her on a bed and left the room. The mattress was quite possibly the softest and most comfortable thing she had ever felt. Despite the pain in her ravaged body, she quickly fell asleep.

She never knew exactly how long she slept, but all too soon, she was being shaken awake. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. Standing over her was a tall man of around thirty years old. He had a warm smile, yet there was something... cold and evil in his eyes.

"Good morning!" The man said cheerfully. "I see you slept well. I hope the accommodations were to your liking." Hermione looked up at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Ah, I see I've forgotten my manners. My name is Grindelwald, Gellert Grindelwald, and I..." At this statement Hermione made to leap from the bed, attempting to put as much space between them as possible. As soon as she did this, however, a bolt of pain coursed through her body, causing her to collapse on the bed.

"Don't do that, my dear." Grindelwald told her

"But... but... Dumbledore _killed_ you!" Hermione moaned.

"No, my dear... Haven't you read Dumbledore's Famous Wizard card? It clearly states that he _defeated _me. Defeated, not killed. No shriveled up old man like Dumbledore could kill me."

"Wait... Dumbledore defeated you in 1945... That was almost _sixty-five years _ago. You're too young to be..." Grindelwald laughed. A cold, cruel laugh that didn't fit his handsome face.

"You really do lack knowledge of magic, Ms. Granger. A great deal of knowledge, in fact. There are many ways of extending one's life. I will never simply die of old age, nor will I age at all. Now, I have important matters to attend to. I will return later. Please do try to rest. I cannot say how long my friend Voldemort will allow you to use this room."

Grindelwald strode from the room. Hermione leaned back against the pillows, deep in thought. Her head was swimming with the effort of processing all of the information Grindelwald had just revealed to her. It seemed impossible, and yet... not so much. She knew the extent of the power of Dark Magic and wondered why she had been surprised that Grindelwald appeared so young.

A stab of pain through her head forced her to halt her examination of Grindelwald's words. Willing herself out of bed, she moved toward a mirror hanging on a closet door. The reflected image was more or less what she had expected. Her hair was matted with blood and her paper-thin robe, the only piece of clothing the Death Eaters had given her, had been white when she had received it. Now, it had turned a dull reddish-brown color and was torn and ripped in many places.

Her face was badly cut as well as was her neck and the part of her legs she could see. She didn't dare open the robe and see the damage to the rest of her body; she decided she didn't want to know. She returned to the bed and carefully pulled herself under the covers. She soon fell asleep.

-.-

Harry sat by the lake, under an old oak tree. He stared at the rippling water, not really seeing it. He didn't know how long she sat there, but hours after he'd come down from the castle, a warm hand closed around his shoulder. Harry jumped and looked around, noticing for the first time that it was dark.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Catherine asked, sitting down beside him. Harry said nothing. Catherine sighed.

"Don't do this to yourself," she whispered. "What happened... it wasn't your fault. Mum knew what she was doing... and I personally believe she saved all our lives, by giving them what they wanted. She's still alive, we both know that. I wouldn't be here if they'd killed her. We'll find her, Dad, or somehow she'll find her way back to us. It won't end like this, it can't." she paused, thinking, then said. "You know Hermione better than I do. If the situation were reversed, what would she do?" Harry gazed at her imploringly.

"Well, she'd... she'd find a book in the library, or go to Dumbledore, but..."

"Wait!" Catherine interrupted. "I think you've just solved two problems at once! How to find Mum and how to finish that damned potion."

"I did?" Harry asked, dumbstruck.

"Yes! Don't you see? We're using our brand of magic. The thing is, we've got _their_ powers. We should be using _their _brand of magic. We need their magic, the Charmed One's magic." Catherine turned to stare at the water for a moment then turned back to Harry.

"We need the Book of Shadows."


	9. The Book of Shadows: Part Two

-.-

**Chapter 9**

**The Book of Shadows: Part Two**

-.-

While the rest of her was not in any condition to do much of anything, Hermione's mind was still sharp. She'd done a great deal of thinking over the past fortnight. During this time, she had discovered one increasingly obvious fact: She was going to die. At least, she was unless she somehow managed to escape.

Grindelwald had revealed too much information to her. Once he got what he wanted, whatever that was, no one had asked her a single question yet, he'd order her execution. So, she had begun to think of a way out of the situation, and after two weeks, she had a plan. That is, if the half-assed scheme she'd concocted merited the title. The only problem was, she was far too weak to execute her plan. She had no idea where she was, what waited for her outside, nor how far away Hogwarts was. Despite this, she decided to go ahead and try.

-.-

'I've had enough of this!' Voldemort thought, as he made his way to Hermione's cell. 'Grindelwald wouldn't even be alive were it not for me, and then he has the nerve to believe _he's_ in charge. We'll see about that!' He pushed Hermione's door open and strode inside. Hermione stiffened when she saw him.

"Back again?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I must speak with you," Voldemort said, pacing the length of the room.

"Speak away; I'm not going to stop you." Hermione muttered. Under normal circumstances, the Dark Lord would have killed the Mudblood for speaking the way she did, unfortunately, he needed her.

"These are difficult times," Voldemort told her. "My "master", Grindelwald, believes he controls my forces. He is wrong. However, I fear he may attempt to... get rid of me, permanently."

"And you expect me to care?" Hermione asked.

"No, of course I don't. But I do expect you to care about your family. If Grindelwald conquers the Ministry, he will spare no one who has challenged him.

"How very kind of him," said Hermione tonelessly.

"Yes…" Voldemort muttered. "Yes, you see I know your close relationship with Albus Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. I am going to win this conflict, the Ministry will fall and Grindelwald will bow before me. I know you love Harry Potter and the rest of your gang of misfits. So, if you provide me with information I can use to destroy the Ministry, I will ensure that you and Harry both have a place in my new order."

"You're insane," she whispered. "If you think I'm going to..."

"I am, I do, and you will. In time you will come to see that I am a very persuasive person."

"You'd let Harry live?" Hermione asked. "You would let both of us live despite all we've done to oppose you?"

"Harry Potter, truly, is of little importance." said Voldemort. "He is powerful, yes, but he is only one man. If he agrees to submit himself to me, he may live. Truthfully, though, his continued survival and the survival of your other friends depends solely on you. I can reach them, all of them, easily. Do as I ask of you and I will let them live. Refuse or fail in your task and they will die." Hermione bit her lip and did not reply. Voldemort smiled.

"Perhaps I should offer more," he said lightly. "There is something I have in my possession that I am certain you would like to have."

"Really?" asked Hermione. "And what would that be?" Voldemort reached into his cloak and retrieved a tiny glass vial, filled with orange liquid.

"Orange juice?" Hermione asked.

"Not quite. If I'm correct, you suffer from constant pain. You believe it to be from injures you suffered the last time I held you in my grip. You are wrong. A spell has been placed upon you, Ms. Granger, and it is that very spell that causes you your pain. Do as I ask and I'll give you this." He shook the vial.

"You're trying to bribe me now?" Hermione asked, leaning back against the pillows on her bed.

"Whatever you'd like to call it. I have important business to attend to. Give this some thought, and I shall return later." Voldemort turned on his heel and left the room. Hermione felt sick. She leaned back into the bed, which no longer felt comfortable. She had to leave this place, and tonight, she was going to.

-.-

Lucius Malfoy strode down the darkened corridor toward Hermione's cell. He carried a tray of food along with him. He opened her door and set the tray on the bedside table with a clang. Hermione sat up in bed and looked at him.

"Here." Lucius muttered. He turned and made for the door. As he did so, he noticed a shattered mirror hanging on the wall. Just as he turned around, a piece of glass pierced the side of his neck. His eyes widened as he watched his own blood seep into his robes. Lucius let out a soft breath and collapsed, dead, to the floor. Hermione released the shard of glass, and wiped the blood from her hands.

She quickly wrapped a small clipping of the bed sheet around the deep cut the glass had made in her hand and retrieved Malfoy's wand. She crept to the door and eased it open. The stone corridor beyond was dark, and dimly lit with torches, hung on brackets every ten feet. It was devoid of life. Wrapping her thin robe more tightly around her, she pressed onward. She followed the corridor until it led her to a stairway. She hurried up it.

Reaching the top, she found another long corridor with passages leading off to the left and right. She sunk forward quietly. One of the passages led to a potions lab, which Hermione entered and silenced the Death Eaters inside with the stolen wand. Pulling open the ingredients cabinet, she withdrew several jars and bags and laid the on a nearby table. She hurriedly mixed a potion, the recipe for which she had concocted in her head three days ago. This potion was perhaps the most important part of her plan. The potion, when wildly shaken or heated to an extreme temperature, would explode with the force of a small bomb.

In less than ten minutes her potion was complete. She filled eight vials, turned the heat of the fire under the cauldron to full and left the potions chamber. Hermione found the lack of guards and patrols curious, but was thankful anyway; the less fighting, the better. She made her way to the prison block. The door outside the block was devoid of guards, inside was a different story. At least twenty Death Eaters patrolled the area at all times. Hermione eased the door open, and tossed one of the vials down the passage. It hit the ground near a group of Death Eaters, cracked, and the contents exploded. Gathering the wands that had survived, Hermione opened the prison cells. She gave the prisoners that could fight a wand and had them stand guard at either end of the corridor. The rest helped those too badly injured to walk out of their cells.

After nearly an hour of searching, they finally found the exit. Hermione ushered the others outside. This was when everything went to hell. Alarms blared and spells rained down from the sky. Death Eaters appeared from every direction. The battle that followed was a short one. Most of the prisoners fled into the forest, those that were too injured to run were murdered by the Death Eaters. Hermione too was able to dart away into the forest nearby. She ran deeper and deeper into the woods with no idea where she was going. Finally, she heard an explosion from behind her and knew the last of her potion had finally exploded and that the prison and most of the Death Eaters guarding it were gone. Suddenly, her pain and exhaustion became too much. She collapsed to the ground and slipped into unconsciousness.

-.-

When Hermione awoke she had expected to find herself lying in the forest. What she didn't expect, was to be lying in a warm bed near a fireplace, with a plate of toast and a glass of milk resting on the bedside table. Sitting up, she realized she was now in a small cabin. It consisted of a single room barely twelve feet in each direction. A small kitchen sat across from the bed and a tiny dining table was placed in front of the fireplace.

There was a large rocking chair in one corner, and a magazine rack stood beside it. In the chair sat a man. He looked to be around her age and deep sleep. Hermione climbed out of bed, noticing that the robe she'd been wearing had been discarded for a new, thicker, one. Her hair was no longer matted and tangled, but soft and curly. Most of her wounds had healed, and even though she didn't know it, the sparkle in her hazel eyes that had long since faded was rapidly returning. She walked to the cabin's single window. Snow covered the ground outside, and a snowy owl hooted from a tree branch.

"Finally awake, I see." a voice said from behind her. Hermione spun around. It appeared that the sleeping man had awoken.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked. "How did I get here?" The man smiled.

"Sit," he told her. "You've been through a lot, haven't you? Alright, let me start at the beginning. I'm David Norbank, a wizard, and you are on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, approximately twenty miles from Hogwarts castle. This portion of the forest has become... tainted by Lord Voldemort. I came here to see if I could help. That was two years ago. Sadly, I've managed to do very little. You, however, seem to have destroyed one of seven prison facilities in this area. You're obviously no friend of the Dark Lord or his ideals. I was scouting the area when I heard the explosion. I found you unconscious on the ground. I brought you back here and took care of you. You've been drifting in and out of consciousness for a couple of weeks now..."

"Weeks?" Hermione asked, astounded. "_Weeks_! Wait, what month is it?"

"February," said David.

"February? When I was captured it was only September."

"Hmm... you've been away from home a long time. I was surprised you survived as long as you did. I don't know how you did it, but somehow, you're standing here now."

"I've got a family to get back to," Hermione whispered. "They're enough of a reason to fight like hell, and in an impossible-to-explain way, my daughter's life depends on me getting back."

"She must be really important to you." David commented.

"Yeah," Hermione whispered, a small smile crossing her face. "She is..."

"I'd offer to take you back to the castle, but I need to stay here. I _can _take you to a hill that sits about two miles from here. It's a magical overlook that allows the person standing on it to view the entire forest and the area surrounding it. It's not much, but you'll be able to see Hogwarts and I think you'll like that. We can leave whenever you feel you're up to a long walk."

They set out for the hill several days later after giving Hermione a little longer to gather her strength. She wasn't certain she'd be able to make it such an incredible distance, but she was certainly willing to try. David spent most of the trip telling Hermione the best ways to survive in the Forest.

"Remember, when you sleep be sure to stay in the trees. The creatures in the woods won't climb up to get you. Only travel during the day. Most of the animals only hunt at night. Ah, here we are!" David pulled back a bit of shrubbery blocking the path, and ushered Hermione through. She reached the top of the hill and gasped. The Dark Forest extended for what looked like hundreds of miles in each direction, and far in the distance, stood Hogwarts castle, glittering in the early morning sun. It was a moment before Hermione realized that tears were streaming down her face. She wiped them away and turned back to David.

"Is... is there anything I can do to repay you for all you've done for me?" she asked. David thought for a moment.

"Yes. Stop Lord Voldemort and return beauty to this tainted land." He reached into his pocket and took out a small parcel. "Here. This should be enough food to get you through the forest. Don't worry, it keeps refilling itself. I'd guess the school is about three days travel time from here." He smiled and gave her a quick hug. "You'd best be going now. I'm sure your friends are worried sick about you. Oh, I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and drew out the wand Hermione had taken.

"You had this when I found you. I figured you might need it."

"Thank you." Hermione told him, and smiled. With one last look at the castle, Hermione headed off into the forest.

-.-

Catherine descended down the many staircases of Hogwarts school and hurried into the Great Hall for breakfast. Voldemort had left the school nearly six months ago and still repairs were not completed. The Great Hall was almost deserted when she arrived. It's only inhabitants sat together at the far end of the Gryffindor house table. Catherine hurried toward them. Harry and Ginny sat pouring over a map and scribbling hurriedly on a piece of paper on one side of the table and on the other sat two people Catherine hadn't seen in a very long time. A tall, red haired, long nosed man stood and smiled at her.

"It's been far too long!" He exclaimed, greeting Catherine like an old friend.

"Ronald Weasley, and Luna as well," Catherine said, smiling at the blonde haired woman sitting beside him. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, Harry here sent me a letter saying he'd found my long lost sister and I had to come see her." 'See' her, was not exactly the reason Ron had come, but seeing as murder was frowned upon at Hogwarts, he had decided that seeing her was the most he would do. "We've been in France, working at Beauxbatons with Madam Maxine. Foreign allies are very important these days."

"We've got it!" Harry exclaimed suddenly.

"Got what?" Catherine asked.

"The location of the Book of Shadows," Harry told her. "It's still at the Halliwell manor. Evil can't touch it, so it seems they've left it there under heavy guard. It'll be a hell of a fight to get it, but we should be able to handle it."

"Good, we should..." Catherine paused mid-sentence when she spotted Dumbledore striding toward them.

"I have good news!" He exclaimed when he reached them. "One of Lord Voldemort's prison facilities, which we recently discovered were located in the Forbidden Forest, was destroyed several weeks ago. Information is still scarce, but it seems Hermione may have been responsible for the complex's destruction."

"You... you're serious?" Harry asked. "Truly serious? If Hermione destroyed... it means she escaped and could be on her way back!"

"Possibly, Harry." Dumbledore said. "Possibly..."

-.-

'I can't keep this up... I... just... too tired.' Hermione fell to the snowy ground and leaned against the base of a tree. Hermione had been traveling for three days and knew that the castle had to be close. Climbing to her feet, she trudged on. Fighting past vines and bushes, she slowly approached her objective.

As the sun began to set, Hermione walked up a small slope and froze in her tracks. There, barely fifty yards from her, stood Hogwarts castle. Hermione took several more steps forward, away from the edge of the Forest, and then broke into a run, straight toward to oak front doors.


	10. The Book of Shadows: Part Three

-.-

**Chapter 10**

**The Book of Shadows: Part Three**

-.-

Harry, Catherine, Ginny, Ron, and Luna decided to take a stroll across the grounds after dinner so when they were finished, they headed out the oak front doors, and down toward the lake. They plopped down under the old oak tree by the lake.

"I remember this tree!" Ron said as they sat down. "We used to sit under it during the school year to do homework... actually; Hermione was the only one who did homework. Harry and I just talked about Quidditch."

"Well, it's not like _that_ has ever changed." A female voice said. Harry spun around. There, standing barely five feet from them, was Hermione. Harry slowly stood to his feet and went to her. He took her hand in his, and squeezed. She gave him a curious look.

"Just making sure I'm not imagining this." Harry whispered before pulling her into a tight hug. Hermione's exhaustion overtook her and she collapsed in his arms.

"C'mon," Harry said, lifting Hermione into his arms. "You need the hospital wing."

Hermione sighed and leaned her head again Harry's chest as he carried her to the castle. They had barely gone five feet before Hermione fell asleep.

-.-

"Still asleep?"

"Yes… Although, I'm honestly not surprised. She's been through a lot and she deserves to rest as long as she'd like."

"I understand, but it's very important that she tell us exactly what happened. Her information could help us greatly."

"When she is able to leave the hospital wing, I will bring her to your office. Until then, I would ask for you not to worry her."

"Catherine, I know you are concerned for your mother, but she's been back for two weeks, we..."

"Professor, please. Not now." Dumbledore sighed.

"As you wish," He swept from the room. Harry smirked at his daughter.

"Damn, you handled that well. I've never seen anyone change Dumbledore's mind before."

"I had enough practice talking to stubborn people when I dated you."

"Yeah, you know... must you mention that? Honestly, it's too weird to think about." Catherine sighed and continued to flip through the Book of Shadows, which the Order had acquired in a surprise raid on the Halliwell's home the previous day. The house itself had been liberated as well and was now under the protection of the Order.

"Oh, have a spine," Catherine muttered darkly. "We dated for over a year. It happened and nothing is going to change it."

"Yeah, it's just..."

"Would you two stop arguing?" Hermione muttered sleepily.

"Well, finally awake I see." Harry said, leaning closer to her and taking her hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like my entire body has been run through a meat grinder." Hermione told him, a small smile creeping onto her face. Harry knew Hermione was in pain, but the fact that she could joke about it told him she would be fine.

"When you're well, Dumbledore wants to speak with you. To find out what happened while you were… being held." A sudden thought crossed Hermione's mind. She had to tell Harry about Grindelwald! As she opened her mouth to speak, a sharp pain pierced her head. When it passed, she realized she could no longer remember the man's name. For there had most certainly been a man, a wizard... or... had he even been a wizard? Had there even been a man? No, perhaps there hadn't been. Hermione closed her mouth and leaned back against the pillows, now certain that Voldemort was the only dark wizard that needed to be destroyed.

-.-

"So it's done then?"

"Yes, she will not remember me at all."

"Good. Very good…"

"You seem upset, Tom. Care to explain?" Voldemort hesitated.

"She could have been a gold mine of information and now she's gone. Perhaps if you had listened to me and kept her in the regular cells she wouldn't have escaped. You allowed her to regain her strength!" Grindelwald glared at him.

"Did it ever occur to you," Grindelwald said darkly. "That escaping was precisely what I wanted her to do?"

-.-

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Still coming up here late at night?"

"Of course. You didn't think my nightly strolls to the top of the Astronomy Tower would stop, did you?" Hermione laughed and moved to the railing where Harry stood.

"Well, I'd hoped you would spend the time resting instead of staying up here." Harry wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm not the one that needs rest, Mione. That's you."

"Come on, Harry. I'm fine and obsessing over it isn't going to help. You should be focusing on Voldemort." Harry turned her around so that she was facing him.

"You're not fine, Mione. You're just making it look like you're fine so I can worry about Voldemort. For a few months there... there were times when I thought I'd never see you again. I hate to say it, but I honestly gave up on you coming back."

"Harry... I'm not always going to be around. You... you can't concern yourself that."

"Don't say that." Harry whispered.

"It's true. It's life. You're born, you live, and you die. Voldemort wants me dead and... well, one day he may get his wish."

"I'm sorry," Harry replied. "I'm so sorry I've gotten you into all this…" He gazed into her eyes and noticed the sparkle that usually appeared there was gone. Instead, a dark pool of terror and agony filled her hazel eyes. A pain so deep, so engulfing that Harry could no longer look at her.

"Mione," he whispered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she said, although her voice seemed... sad somehow.

"I'm here for you, Mione. You can tell me."

"Harry, there's nothing to tell. You, however, can tell me something. Dumbledore told me about the conversation you and he had before the school was attacked." Harry stared.

"He... he wasn't supposed to..."

"I know, but he felt you might do something on your own if he didn't." Hermione backed away from him, leaning against the railing. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily."

"I was just..." Harry began.

"'trying to protect me.' Yeah, I know. Stop. I don't need you to protect me, Harry. What I do need is for you to stop Voldemort. No one is safe until that bastard burns."

"Yeah, but..."

"No 'buts' this time, Harry. I mean it. I can take care of myself." A small smile crossed her face. "But just because I can take care of myself doesn't mean I don't like to be pampered every once in a while." Harry grinned and lifted her into his arms. He made to carry her out of the tower, but before he could, both of them were surrounded by blue-white light as Hermione orbed them away. From that moment on, Harry knew he had to do as Hermione asked. Although he often found it difficult, he never again attempted to protect Hermione when she didn't want him to.

-.-

The blast blew a kilometer-wide hole into the ground. The sky was red with fire, burning through the air like angry lances of blood. The ground burned and blackened as the flames raked across it. Fields burned and rivers turned into dry, barren patches of dirt. A spiraling hole of blackness appeared in the sky. The entire ground lifted into the air and Harry's dream ended as quickly as it had begun. He rolled over and gently nudged Hermione, who was sleeping peacefully beside him.

"Mione?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Are you awake?"

"I am now." Hermione said irritably.

"Oh… sorry. Never mind."

"You've already woken me up now, what is it?"

"I had another one of those 'end of the world' dreams. You know... nuclear apocalypse dreams? And somehow… it feels as though its something that's going to happen."

Hermione rolled over to face him.

"Well, you do have Phoebe's powers. It's... possible that you are seeing the future."

"But that would mean..."

"That we lost, I know. And, honestly... how do you know we don't?"

-.-

Hermione made her way to the Great Hall early Saturday morning. Once there she quickly spotted the lone redheaded figure sitting at the end of the Ravenclaw table. She hurried over and sat down across from her.

"We need to talk." Hermione said seriously, placing her fingertips together on the table in front of her and eyeing the youngest Weasley with a good deal of apprehension in her gaze.

"Yeah," Ginny muttered. She spoke she looked not into Hermione's eyes, but instead she focused intently on her left shoulder. "Yes, we do. Mione... we were friends once. Close friends. And as I see it, there's no reason we can't be friends again. If we could just... get passed all this. When... when I stabbed you... I felt terrible. It was almost like I'd stabbed myself. I betrayed you, Hermione, and... I'm sorry. I was just so angry, I... wanted Harry back and I was prepared to do anything to get him." Hermione simply stared at her for a moment, shaking her head.

"I'm not the one you owe an apology to."

"I already apologized to Harry." Ginny told her.

"Not Harry, Ginny. Catherine. If you had killed me before she's born, you'd have killed her too." Ginny bowed her head sadly.

"I... I hadn't thought of that."

"Obviously," Hermione muttered. "There are... a lot of things I can forgive you for, including what you did to Harry, but not what you almost did to Kat."

"Mione, I..."

"No, Ginny. It's asking too much, Ginny. You almost killed my daughter; I can't just let that go."

"There was a time when you would at least hear me out..." Ginny moaned.

"I've changed, Gin. I'm not the same person you went to school with. I did hear you out, Ginny, and you do sound sincere, but words don't mean anything. You're going to have to prove yourself."

"Fine, I'll do whatever I have to. I want all this mess in the past. What can I do to prove myself?" Hermione thought for a moment.

"I don't know. Look, for now let's just... get along. We'll worry about trust and forgiveness later. Just so long as you as you promise not to stab me in the back again... literally, then I think we can start to... fix this." Ginny couldn't find the words to reply.

-.-

"It's done!" Catherine exclaimed holding up a tiny vial of blood red liquid.

"Are you sure it works?" Harry asked.

"Of course it does! Well... I haven't tested it yet, but I'm sure it'll work."

"And how do you purpose that we test it?" Catherine grinned and glanced at Hermione.

"Well, I thought that _I _would be a... test subject is the appropriate term, I believe." Catherine uncorked the bottle and downed the contents. "Well, go ahead!" she told them. Harry drew his wand.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"I've already drunk this disgusting mess; we're certainly going to find out if it works. Now, get on with it." Harry raised his wand.

"Imperio!" he exclaimed. A jet of red light shot towards Catherine. Just as it was about to make contact, the spell seemed to impact an invisible shield, bounced off, and hit the wall just above Harry's head.

"Well, I'll be goddamned." Harry said in awe. "It works."

"What? You didn't expect it to?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well, it never has before."

"We've never had a magical, self-protecting book before. Besides, Catherine's great at potion making. She's better than me," Hermione gave Harry a small smile. "And she's twice as good as you." Harry grinned and said,

"That's not all that big of a compliment." Catherine sighed.

"Well, go ahead and cast the next one." Harry stared.

"The other two are..."

"I know damn well what they do and honestly I don't care. What I do know is that without this potion, we're dead. We've got to test it before we use it in battle. Now, do it." Harry sighed.

"Crucio!" The yellow light, just like its red counterpart before it, bounced off the shield. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Is it really necessary to...?"

"Yes!" Catherine exclaimed. Harry looked grimly at Hermione, who shrugged and nodded. Harry closed his eyes as tightly as possible and raised his wand again.

"Avada Kedavera!" The bolt of green light hit the shield, rebounded, and hit the wall blowing a two foot wide crater in it.

"Wow," Hermione whispered. "Impressive."

"Indeed, it is." Harry said, helping Catherine put the rest of the potion into vials. "How long does this stuff last?"

"I'm not entirely certain," Catherine answered. "It's not permanent, but it should last several hours, at least."

"Well, it's better than nothing." Harry said, corking the last vial. Hermione gazed into the bottom of the cauldron, a strange, almost distant look in her eyes.

"At least we have a chance now, albeit a small one." she whispered.

-.-

"This agreement cannot..."

"It will aid us greatly, Tom." Grindelwald turned toward the dark figure standing before them. "Agreed." The figure shifted, a thin small crossing his hooded face.

"A good decision,"

"It is," Grindelwald agreed. "Allying with the Source of all Evil,"


	11. A Chance for Redemption

-.-

**Chapter 11**

**A Chance for Redemption**

-.-

Hermione stood in the Astronomy tower, flipping through the Book of Shadows. Ginny and Catherine poured over tomes the size of dinner plates on a table nearby. Ron, Luna and Harry sat beside them, talking idly

"Come on, Mione. Take a break. You're not going to get through the entire Book in one night." Harry said, motioning for her to come join them.

"Well, Gin and Kat aren't getting through all those books in one night either, but does it look like they're stopping to you?" Hermione countered, not looking up at him.

"Hey, don't bring us into it!" Catherine called, exchanging a grin with Ginny. "Besides, he's right. You should rest. Whatever you're looking for in there will still be there in the morning." Hermione sighed.

"Fine..." she muttered, closing the Book and plopping down at the table.

"What _were_ you looking for?" Harry asked. Hermione hesitated.

"Well... I know it silly, but... The Charmed Ones were incredibly powerful witches. It just seems odd that they would be killed so easily, and so quickly." Harry stared at her for a moment, deep in thought.

"I think you're going a bit too far there, Mione." said Ron.

"You know... I think she could be on to something." Harry muttered.

"You do?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah. The Charmed Ones defeated an untold number of demons, only to be killed so quickly. It doesn't make sense. Did you find anything in the Book?" Hermione shrugged.

"No, but I'm only about a quarter of the way through it."

"Alright," Harry said, picking up the Book and shoving it toward Ginny. "You, Luna and Ron, keep looking. Hermione, go get some sleep. You look exhausted. Kat, come with me. We're going to talk to Dumbledore."

-.-

Harry and Catherine hurried to Dumbledore's office. They raced up the spiral staircase and were just about to knock when the door opened.

"Harry, Catherine, I'm glad you're here. I was just coming to look for you!" Dumbledore exclaimed, pulling back the door to let them in.

"You were?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded and motioned for them to take seats. The headmaster moved behind his desk and sat down.

"Lemon drop?" he asked. Both Harry and Catherine shook their heads. Dumbledore busied himself unsticking two drops and said nothing.

"Sir?" Harry began slowly, exchanging a glance with Catherine. "You… wanted to tell us something?"

"Oh, yes. I did." He put away the lemon-flavored candies and sighed. "You two go first."

"Okay... err, well... Hermione thought that it might be possible that the Charmed Ones could still be alive." Dumbledore considered his words.

"That's... not possible."

"Why? They're powerful witches. They've faked their deaths before; couldn't they have done it again? Only more thoroughly this time?"

"I suppose it is _possible_, however, it is highly unlikely. If you do find something of significance about this, please bring it to my attention." Dumbledore paused, considering his words. "What I am about to tell you is very important. The Ministry of Magic has discovered that Hermione is back in the magical world. I'm not certain how they found out. I went to extreme measures to ensure they no one knew, but..."

"What will they do if they find her?" Harry asked. Dumbledore looked grave.

"The punishment... would be death. That is why you must leave… All of you. Catherine is in as much danger as Hermione, being the child of a muggleborn. I am sending you to San Francisco, California. Order members have been guarding the old Halliwell manor since we retrieved the Book of Shadows. You will live there until all this blows over. I have been in contact with the American Ministry of Magic. Their leadership has informed me that they will protect you from our Ministry. Gather what you need and go… quickly!"

-.-

"Well, it is a bit cramped compared to Hogwarts, but it'll do." said Catherine as she, Ron, Ginny and Luna looked around the manor's kitchen.

"A _bit _cramped? I think it's more than a bit cramped, Kat." Ginny replied grudgingly.

"Yeah, well, the alternative involves being captured by the Ministry and killed. Do you like that better?" Ginny shrugged.

"No, but..."

"Then shut up!"

"Oh, shut up both of you!" Ron muttered, pulling open the refrigerator door. "Empty. I suppose that means someone will need to go to the store."

"I'll go," Ginny said, standing up from the kitchen table and Disapparating.

"Where'd she go?" Harry asked, entering the kitchen.

"To buy food," said Ron. "It seems the Order didn't keep anything here."

"Figures..." Harry said, taking a seat across from Catherine. Ron poured himself a glass of water and took a seat at the table as well.

"Is Hermione still asleep?" Luna inquired, looking up from her copy of the Quibbler.

"Yeah, I figured she should get as much rest as she could while she can, especially with the Ministry on our tails."

"You think they know where we are?"

"No, not yet anyway. They're persistent, however, so it wouldn't surprise me if they came knocking. The American Ministry's working to keep the Aurors away, but I doubt they'll risk an international incident over us." Harry sighed, looking around the kitchen.

"It's odd... being back here again..."

"Again?" Luna asked. "You were here before?"

"You didn't know?" asked Harry. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you missed the seventh year because your dad wanted you to go hunting... what was it? A Mustyguffer? It doesn't matter. I can't believe you didn't tell her, Ron?"

"What? Oh, about that? No, I didn't think it was important." Harry sighed.

"Okay, so I suppose it's best to start at the beginning. Our seventh year started out the same as always with the trip on the Hogwarts Express. Catherine… well, you know what she was like. She wasn't always the sweet girl you see today. In fact, she was..." Harry glanced at Catherine, who seemed unconcerned. "Well, she was a bit of a bitch." Ron guffawed.

"A bit? Hell, she was more than a bit of a bitch. Personally, I think she was worse than Malfoy."

"Okay," Catherine said, quite annoyed now. "She gets the picture. Move along." Harry and Luna both laughed.

"Alright, so Catherine came into the compartment and said... well, it really doesn't matter what she said. The only important part is that from then on, Catherine was no friend of ours. Interestingly though, Hermione wanted to befriend her. Did a damn good job, too. By the middle of the year she was actually... nice, even though neither Ron nor myself wanted anything to do with her. That all changed when Hermione left, however. She took me aside the night she left and told me about..."

_**Hogwarts School, six years earlier…**_

_Hermione stood atop the Astronomy Tower; a broomstick floating at her side, a single bag lay on the ground at her feet._

_"You don't have to do this." Harry whispered, gripping her hand tightly. Hermione sighed._

_"Yes, I do. Dumbledore asked me to do it, and I said yes. It'll be dangerous, but I'm willing." Harry hesitated._

_"Will... will I ever see you again?" he asked._

_"I don't know, Harry. I'd like to think so, but where I'm going..."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"You know I can't tell you about that. In fact, I doubt you or anyone other than Dumbledore will ever know where I'm going."_

_"Mione... promise me you'll come back. Promise me that somehow, someway, you'll manage to find your way back to me." Tears began to stream down Hermione's face as she pulled Harry into a tight hug._

_"I... I... I'll try, Harry. I'll try, but there's something I need you to do for me, Harry."_

_"Anything," Harry whispered._

_"I need you to try and get along with Catherine. I know you don't like her, but I've been spending a lot of time with her, and... well, she's changed. She's not all that bad once you get to know her. I think she'd like a friend while I'm away." Harry sighed deeply as though she had asked him to look after her pet Hungarian Horntail._

_"If you were anyone else, Mione… Fine, but only because you're the best friend I've ever had." A sudden impulse struck him, and he leaned in a kissed her._

_"Good luck." He whispered as he pulled away._

_"Luck won't help, Harry. Be safe." With that, Hermione climbed onto the broom, grabbed her bag, and took off into the night._

-.-

"It would be a year before I'd see her again. I never did know what she was up to, still don't, but Voldemort captured her. We had no way to find her so after six months, Dumbledore suggested we go to the Charmed Ones. With their help, we managed to locate her using... well, I can't remember what they call it, but they joined us in the assault on Voldemort's base. When we found her... well... if you though what he did last time was bad, it was nothing compared to this. He destroyed her.

"When we found her... I didn't think there was any hope of saving her after seeing what they'd done to her, but somehow the Healers managed it. She was never the same after that... still isn't. She tries to make it look as though she's gotten past it, but... the experience made her... colder. Harsher… and more willing to end the lives of her enemies. It took six months for her to recover and it was during that time that the Minister of Magic prepared the Anti-Muggleborn act. I saw it as an... _opportunity_ to force her to get herself to safety.

"I decided to show my support and help the Minister implement his plan. I wanted to talk to Hermione before she left, tell her why I did it, but I never got the chance." Harry sighed and turned away from the table. "I hurt her, and the fact that she forgave me shows what kind of person she truly is." Harry sighed and turned back to the table and nodded to Luna. "So that's our secret, grand adventure. Not exactly a tale of heroes, but that's it. I need to check on Hermione. I'll be back." He stood and hurried from the room.

-.-

Harry leaned against the doorframe of his and Hermione's room. Harry watched Hermione's chest rise and fall as she slept, taking pleasure in the fact that she was finally getting the rest she deserved. While not completely whole, Harry knew that she was healing. Slowly regaining some of the person she had been. The sparkle that had long since left her hazel eyes was rapidly returning, and Harry found that she often had a small smile playing about her lips.

Even though she would never be whole again, perhaps she could find some way to heal the best she could. Harry moved into the room and sat down on the left side of the bed. He ran his finger across Hermione's cheek, softly kissing her as her eyes fluttered open.

"Do I get to wake up like this every morning?" she asked, gripping Harry's arm and pulling him into the bed with her.

"Maybe, if you ask nicely." Hermione smiled slyly.

"I have... other ways of convincing people..." Harry laughed.

"Oh, do you? Perhaps I'll be able to sample those ways a little later."

"A little later?" Hermione moaned. "Why not now?"

"Ah, well I can't say I'm not tempted, but if I don't get back downstairs they'll come looking for me, and neither of us wants anyone to walk in on us." Hermione sighed.

"Fine, but the next time you're in the mood, don't expect me to be all that easy."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Harry said in mock anger. "You needn't get so upset."

"Harry... I'm sorry, I just..." She hesitated and turned away from him as a tear ran down her face. "I... I'm scared, Harry. We... we're up against the Ministry of Magic, an enemy unlike one we've ever faced before. I'm terrified they'll manage to find us, despite what Dumbledore did to protect us." Harry took her hand and sighed.

"You're not alone, Mione. I'm here for you whenever you need me. Just say the word and I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"I know, Harry, I know. It's just... it's different this time. We don't know who we can trust or who we can't. The Ministry can be just as ruthless and uncaring as Voldemort. They'll do things that are just as sick and evil as things that Voldemort will do. If they find us, they'll kill us and they won't be merciful in the slightest way." Hermione paused, seemed to be searching for the answer to a difficult decision, came to a conclusion, and nodded.

"Harry, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," Harry told her.

"I want you to return to England. Go to the Ministry... and renounce that you ever helped me, that you ever found me. They don't yet know of your involvement and you'll need their aid and resources if you are to have any hope of killing Voldemort."

"You've got to be joking," Harry said in disbelief. "Now _you're _trying to protect _me_? I'm not just going to abandon you, Mione. The Ministry... I don't need them. If they come, we'll fight them." Hermione sighed.

"You can't fight the Ministry."

"Believe me, Mione. The Ministry will pay for what they've done, and they'll do so at my hand. I'll fight them, and I'll win."

"You're overconfident, Harry."

"No, I told you what I'm going to do and damn it I'm going to do it."

"Then God help you," she whispered. "Because if you fail; no one else in heaven or hell will have the power to do so."

Hermione left Harry and went to the bathroom. She had planned on taking a long shower, but after climbing in she discovered that she had no desire to be under the warm spray any longer than she had to. She turned off the water and left the bathroom, wrapping a white bathrobe around herself. As she descended the L-shaped staircase, the doorbell rang. Harry emerged from the kitchen to answer the door, but Hermione said,

"I'll get it." Harry waited at the foot of the stairs as Hermione opened the front door. Hermione pulled the door open, and gasped at what she saw. Draco Malfoy stood on the threshold. Before Hermione could even think about moving, Malfoy leapt toward her.


	12. Oh, so that's how it is

-.-

**Chapter 12**

**Oh, so that's how it is...**

-.-

Harry wrenched his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at Malfoy's face. He was just about to cast a spell when Hermione motioned for him to stop. Malfoy wasn't attacking her, he was _hugging _her. Harry advanced slowly, keeping his wand on Draco. Malfoy held Hermione at arms length to look her over, a huge smile on his face. Hermione subconsciously pulled her bathrobe tighter around her, unable to forget the things Draco's father had done to her.

"Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't blow your ass to hell." Hermione growled, though her voice shook slightly.

"No need for that. I came here to thank you!" Malfoy exclaimed.

"For what?" she asked suspiciously.

"For killing my father. That bastard forced me into Voldemort's service. I... I never wanted to do it, but he made me. Now that he's gone... I'm free."

"Why should we believe you? Mione... this could be a trick." Hermione backed slowly away from him.

"He's right." she said. "We have no reason to trust you." Draco opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a jet of red light struck him in the side of the head. He flew sideways and crashed into wall. Ginny emerged from the living room carrying a bag of groceries in one hand, and held her wand in the other.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Draco muttered. He tried to stand, but recieved another spell for his effort.

"That's not very nice." he said darkly

"Ginny, don't." Hermione said. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Draco. He seemed sincere, but if she was wrong... "Let him up."

"Are... are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Yes... I am."

"You're crazy."

"Quite possibly, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"It doesn't mean you're right either, Mum." Catherine countered, sipping at her coffee.

"I know that, Catherine, but..."

"But what? He's a Death Eater!"

"We don't know that."

"Well, if he's not I'd certainly like to know what he is!" Harry held up his hands, silencing both girls before either of them could get into a stride.

"As much as I don't like it," he said, throwing Malfoy the filthiest look imaginable. "And I _don't _like it. I think we should give him a chance."

"Oh, of course you're agreeing with her! You're sleeping with her!"

"Untrue!" Harry exclaimed. "I agreed with her even when I was sleeping with you. So, what's your point."

"My _point_," Catherine began, irritation evident in her voice. "Is that we're allowing a Death Eater into the house!"

"_Suspected _Death Eater." Hermione muttered.

"To you, maybe."

"Alright, you three. That's enough." Luna exclaimed, folding up her newspaper and glancing at Ron, who held a hamburger in one hand and a comic book in the other. Luna shook her head at her husband. "Anyway, for the moment, I say we allow him here on an... observatory basis." Catherine sighed.

"Fine, but if he murders you in your sleep don't say I didn't tell you so." With that she turned on her heel and left the kitchen. Hermione made to follow her, but Harry pulled her back.

"Let her cool off a bit."

-.-

"Mind telling me what you're doing up so late?" Malfoy asked two weeks later as he entered the kitchen and noticed Hermione standing over a bubbling cauldron.

"I couldn't sleep." Hermione told him, dropping a large, slimy something into the cauldron.

"I've only been here for two weeks, and you've been down here every night. Don't you ever sleep?"

"I don't sleep well. I haven't for the past six years." Malfoy sat down at the table with a box of crackers.

"Any reason why?"

"Not one I feel like explaining at the moment." Malfoy sighed.

"You don't really trust me, do you?" he asked. Hermione laughed.

"If I didn't you wouldn't be here." She said in a very serious voice. "The only thing I ask from you is to make yourself worth of that trust. Don't make me regret trusting you, because if you do I swear to you that the punishment for such actions would be as dire as my vast arsenal of magical abilities could make it."

"Yeah, that would probably hurt. Believe me, I'm not plotting against the Order or anything like that."

"People have said that before, didn't matter then, doesn't matter now. Personally, I want to believe in you, but you're going to have to prove yourself. Not just to me, but to the others as well."

"I'll do my best." Malfoy told her. He continued to sit at the table eating, although Hermione noticed his eyes often drifted in her direction. Perhaps it was nothing, but she found the way his eyes lingered on her chest disturbing.

"Is... is there something you want to say?" she asked after an hour. Malfoy stood and moved toward her.

"Actually, there is." He reached out and drew her closer to him so their faces were only inches apart. "I've always felt something for you." he whispered. "I've just been too afraid to act on it."

"Draco, I..."

"Shhh now, none of that."

"It's just. You can't possibly mean..." Malfoy's eyes suddenly clouded, then returned to normal. He looked around and leapt away from Hermione.

"Dear God, did I...?"

"No, not that I would have let you. I'd have blown you up first, but that's not the point. What the hell was that about?" Malfoy shuddered and sank into a chair, holding his head.

"I... don't know. I felt like I didn't have any control. What I was doing... someone else was making me do it." Despite this, Hermione no longer wanted to be anywhere near Draco, so she quickly cleared up her potion and left the kitchen, leaving Malfoy alone with his very confused thoughts.

Hermione hurried upstairs and into Piper's old room, which now served as her and Harry's bedroom. On her way, she peaked into Catherine's room, a habit she had picked up since their fight two weeks ago. Closing her bedroom door, Hermione pulled off the bathrobe she'd been wearing and climbed into bed. The sheets were cold as always and the skimpy silk nightgown she wore did little to warm her. Despite the cold, Hermione had a sinking suspicion that it wasn't the only thing making her shiver. She shifted so that her body was pressed firmly against Harry's. He subconsciously wrapped his arms around her. She sighed, closed her eyes, and instantly fell asleep.


	13. You're Not Going to Like This, But

-.-

**Chapter 13**

**You're Not Going to Like This, but...**

-.-

Hermione didn't want tell Harry what had happened down in the kitchen the previous night, but knew she had no choice. Harry, as she expected, didn't take the news well. In fact, he left Hermione and marched down to the kitchen. Hermione elected to remain in her bedroom and let Harry and Draco settle this themselves. Unfortunately, that didn't go as well as she'd hoped.

Harry stormed into the kitchen and spotted Draco at the table. Harry sat down across from him, a burning glare in his eyes.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Harry asked, angrily.

"What are you on about?" Draco muttered.

"Hermione told me what happened down here."

"Yeah... I figured she would. So, going to kick me out?"

"Should I?"

"What do you think?"

"Believe me, Malfoy. If Hermione didn't trust you, you wouldn't be here. If I had my way, you'd be on the first thing smoking back to Britain. You're dangerous, a risk I don't think we should be taking. Unfortunately, Hermione is notorious for never changing her mind once she's made it up. So, you're staying. For now.

"Let me make one thing incredibly clear. You are not to be here alone with Hermione. Ever. She's already been captured by Voldemort once. You could easily be part of his plan to get her back." With that, Harry spun on his heel and left the room. What Harry didn't know was that Voldemort had been listening to every word he had said. Despite whether Draco wanted to or not, he was the Dark Lord's tool and he would do exactly what Harry had said.

-.-

"Back already?" Hermione asked as Harry pulled the door closed. "I figured it would take you a bit longer to beat him to a pulp."

"I didn't hit him, Mione." Harry told her. "I just laid out some ground rules."

"Ah, good. So, do you think he'll... accept them?"

"I hope so... for his sake."

"Harry..."

"I'm serious, Hermione. My main priority is keeping you safe, whether you want me to or not. Malfoy's dangerous." Hermione sighed and leaned back onto the bed, closing her eyes. Harry sensed her exhaustion, and lay down beside her, gripping her hand.

"Mione, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, seeing as you just did. Go ahead."

"If there were something, anything, in your past that you could change, what would it be?"

"Well," Hermione said, thinking deeply. "I suppose it would have to be the four years we spent apart because of my ignorance."

"Hmm... and here I was thinking you'd say the day we met." Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Never. Honestly, I think we were destined to meet that day."

"Destined?"

"Well, yeah. Harry, I followed you under a trap door, risked petrifaction, went back in time, trained you to win the Tri-wizard Tournament, journeyed into the Dark Forest, shot off to the Ministry of Magic in the dead of night only to be hit by a spell, a spell from which I still suffer... I doubt I would have done all that if I wasn't meant to. Ron wouldn't have either. We were all supposed to be on that train that day. I believe that things happen for a reason. I don't know what the reason for our meeting was, but there was a reason."

"Maybe," Harry said, climbing out of bed. "Maybe not. Anyway, I need to work on that spell to find out if the Charmed Ones are still alive. Don't wait up."

"Harry, wait!" Hermione said, leaping out of bed. She moved toward him, slipping her arms around his shoulders and whispered in her ear.

"Stay here tonight, Harry." she said, in a sultry voice.

"Mione, I need to..."

"Harry, if you stay... there'll be a reward."

"A reward, eh? And what would that be?"

"Well," Hermione said, her eyes burning with lust. "Let's just say it involves silk... and lace."

"I... I do... do like... lace and s… s… silk." Harry stammered, pulling away from Hermione only long enough to close the door.

-.-

Choosing to let Harry get a few more hours sleep, Hermione left him in bed and went downstairs without waking him. She couldn't help looking down at her hand as she went. The previous night, just before they fell asleep, Harry had made their engagement official by giving her a ring. It almost seemed unreal... almost. She entered the kitchen and took a seat across from Catherine, who was attempting to eat a bowl of cereal and read an entry in the Book of Shadows.

"Having fun?" Hermione asked, eyeing her daughter's fruitless attempts at supporting the massive Book and spooning cereal into her mouth at the same time.

"No, not a bit…. I've been trying to... oh, my God. What is _that_?" Catherine exclaimed, staring at Hermione's hand.

"Oh, that... well, Harry decided to… well, make it official."

"That's great! It's a bit earlier than it happened in my time, but still..." Hermione nervously looked up at Catherine.

"Um... Kat? I... I've got another surprise for you. One I haven't even told Harry about. You're not going to like this, but I..."

"Wait!" Catherine interrupted. "Let me guess. You're gay."

"No!"

"Married? An alien from Mars? A Death Eater? Please, let it be anything other than what I think it is. Because if it is, you've changed the future in a big way... Please, don't say that you're..."

"I'm pregnant."


	14. Mind Games: Deluxe Edition

-.-

**Chapter 14**

**Mind Games: Deluxe Edition**

-.-

"Mum, do you have any idea what this means!" Catherine exclaimed, slamming the Book closed.

"Of course!" Hermione replied. "I've already beaten myself up over this; I really don't need you to do it too."

"I don't have any siblings in the future! None! I'm not supposed to..."

"How do you know? You've changed the future in a thousand ways already. Maybe this is just one more."

"Ah... I don't think so! How you could possibly..." Suddenly, Catherine screamed and leapt away from the table, clutching her head. Hermione hurried to her side, but Catherine pushed her away.

"No! Stay away! You're..." Harry, Ron, and Ginny hurried into the room.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, as Ron and Ginny pulled Catherine into the sitting room. Hermione shrugged and then seemed to have a revelation.

"Oh, God, I know what's wrong." She pulled Harry aside. "Phoebe possessed the power of empathy. Catherine must have felt what I felt. If she did... I'm honestly surprised it didn't kill her. So much, so fast..."

"Alright, you stay here. I'll go and explain it to her."

"Harry, wait. There... there's something else I need to tell you."

"Well, okay. Go ahead."

"You remember a few weeks ago after I escaped Voldemort's prison? When we... you know, and we didn't... you know… and you also know what happens when you don't." Harry stared at her for a moment.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked, perplexed. Hermione sighed.

"Harry... I.. I'm pregnant." Harry's jaw dropped.

"You... you're sure."

"Yes, Harry. I'm sure." Harry smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"That's great!" Harry told her.

"Really?" Hermione asked. "Catherine didn't think so."

"Don't worry about Catherine. She'll get over it... whether she wants to or not. Now, you go sit down and rest." Harry gave her a swift kiss and swept from the room. Hermione sat down in a chair and sighed. Crookshanks leapt lightly into her lap, purring softly. Hermione looked down at the cat and began to slowly stroke him. He curled up in her lap, content and carefree. Hermione only wished her life were so simple.

-.-

By the time Harry reached the sitting room, Catherine had already calmed down and was taking a long drink of water from a glass.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked. Catherine nodded, but she still seemed shaky.

"What was that about, anyway?" Ron asked.

"Well, Hermione believes that Catherine possesses the gift of empathy. The ability to feel what others are feeling." Harry answered, still watching Catherine with a look of concern on his face.

"H... how can she possibly feel like that?" Catherine said, her voice shaking.

"What did you feel?" Harry asked. Catherine shoot her head.

"It's... indescribable. I... I felt an intense sadness, so intense it felt as though all the happiness had been sucked out of the world. A pain… A pain so deep it felt like... I don't even know... Terror. Terror that she'll be... Oh no..."

"'Oh no' what?" Harry asked.

"Hermione... she thinks she'll be a bad mother. She doesn't believe she can handle it. She feels that she's to blame because of what happened in the future." Catherine held her face in her hands. "I've got to talk to her." Catherine said, standing up.

"No," Harry told her. "You go in there, and you'll feel what she's feeling again."

"I don't care! She came downstairs this morning and told me... told me... well, that's not important, but I yelled at her and now I know what that felt like. She thinks she failed as a mother. I can't let her think that. She's the only reason I'm the person I am today." Harry could tell she wanted nothing more than to charge into that kitchen and speak to Hermione. So, instead of questioning her abilities, he let her go.

Catherine slowly entered the kitchen. Waves of Hermione's feelings crashed upon her, but she resisted them. She noticed a difference between Hermione's and the rest of the occupants of the house.

"Mum?" She said cautiously. Hermione looked up and Crookshanks leapt to the floor and darted out of the room. "Can we talk?"

"Of course… Unless you can't fight off my emotions long enough."

"Yeah, that... that was... It doesn't matter. I just... I just wanted to say, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For my reaction earlier." Catherine muttered, looking at her hands.

"Oh, Kat… You don't have to apologize for that." Hermione said, smiling slightly.

"Yes, I do. I felt what my words did to you. I... I thought... I know what life was like without you. I don't ever want to feel that way again." Hermione studied Catherine's face.

"Why do I get the feeling this is about more than just a simple disagreement?" Catherine sighed.

"Because... I suppose it is. Look, I've been thinking. What if we're wrong? What if I'm not meant to change the future? Maybe I'm only supposed to understand why all these terrible things have happened." Hermione sighed.

"I won't lie, Catherine. I... I've thought about it, too… but I don't believe it. You've already changed the future in a lot of ways."

"Yeah, but..."

"No 'buts', Catherine. You'll either succeed or you'll fail. There are only two options here. If you fail, then there is no hope for anyone. All we can do is continue taking the fight to Voldemort. Somehow, we'll break him."

"How are you so confident?" Catherine asked. Hermione laughed.

"I'm not. I'm just holding on to the tiny glimmer of hope we have left. It's all I have. It's all any of us have."

-.-

And so, life continued on in the Halliwell manor. The days came and went, and although Catherine wasn't particularly happy about it, she learned to accept that she would no longer be an only child. Draco still remained a mystery. Whether he was good or evil, no one really knew. Apart from Catherine occasionally channeling someone else's emotions, life at the Manor grew almost boring. That was, until a witch appeared in the manor early one September morning...

"Morning Ron, Luna." Harry said sleepily as he pulled open the refrigerator door and peered inside. "Did Catherine drink all the milk again?"

"Yeah, she used the last of it for breakfast." Ron told him, folding up the morning paper. "She said she wouldn't have, but she had to eat fast to get off to work."

"Work?" Harry asked. "Since when did Catherine get a job?"

"Well, the Bay Mirror, the newspaper Phoebe Halliwell worked at, has had three advice columnists since she died. None of them has lasted long. So, since she got that new power of hers, she figured she'd apply for the job. She got it. I thought she told you this."

"No, she didn't tell me anything," He glanced at the empty milk carton and sighed. "Damn. Well, I suppose I'll have to go to the store. I'll be back. He wrenched his car keys off the ring by the door and headed outside.

"Where's he off to?" Hermione asked, entering the kitchen.

"To buy milk," Ron said. "Catherine used the last of it again."

"Ah, okay then. Out of curiosity, have either of you seen Draco recently?" Ron and Luna exchanged looks.

"No, why?" Ron said.

"Well, it's just... I haven't seen him in a few days and when he goes off alone, bad things tend to happen."

"Don't worry about him, Mione. Maybe he's decided to leave. I can't say I'd be upset."

"Ron..."

"I'm sorry Mione, but I don't trust him. You seem to be the only one who can't understand that that man is evil."

"He's not evil, he's..."

"Mione, he's evil. It's a fact. Like it or not, inviting him in is going to come back and bite us in the ass."

"You could be right, but I have to give him a chance." Ron placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I want him to be good too, Mione. We all do. We just understand that what we want isn't what is real."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just… hoping?"

"Having hope is good," Luna commented. "But blind faith isn't."

-.-

"So, how's my little girl?" Harry asked, entering the sitting room where Hermione sat doing what she did best: read.

"What makes you so sure she's a girl?" Hermione asked.

"If you're not sure, why did you just call her 'she'?"

"I hate it when you make good points." Hermione muttered.

"That's strange, because I like it."

"Of course you do. It's not like..." Hermione stopped mid-sentence. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on a spot just over Harry's left shoulder. Harry spun around. A dark haired woman of around twenty stood, curiously eyeing Harry and Hermione.

"Hello!" She said, smiling widely. "I hate to interrupt, but I've come for help."

"Help?" Hermione asked. "Help with what?"

"Why, help saving Magic School."

"Magic School?" Harry said. "What's that?"

"It's like Hogwarts," Hermione explained. "But with many differences."

"How is you always seem to know everything?" Harry asked.

"I read," Hermione said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. She returned her gaze to the witch. "So, just what is threatening Magic School?"

"Well, as you know, Leo Wyatt was headmaster of Magic School. He and Paige stood up for the school, kept it running. With them dead, the Elders have decided to close the school until a new headmaster can be found."

"And what do you expect us to do?" Harry said. "We have our own problems. We can't be worried about a school."

"Well..." the witch said, uncertainly "I just thought… Who else to go to for help other than the Charmed Ones?"

"Err... we aren't the Charmed Ones," Harry said. "We just got their powers after they died."

"Exactly! When you recieved their powers, you recieved their legacy, their destiny, and the mantle of the Charmed Ones." Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.

"So, you mean to say... that we're... the Charmed Ones?"

"That is precisely what I'm saying."

"Great," Harry muttered, "just great..."

"What were you saying about the Magic School?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes at Harry.

"We need you to help find someone competent enough to stand up to the Elders and run the school." Hermione thought for a moment, cast a glance at Harry and said,

"I'll do it."

"You? No. I couldn't possibly ask..."

"You asked for help, and now I've offered."

"But Hermione," Harry said. "I don't think you should..."

"Harry, I haven't been out of the house twice since I've been pregnant. I've got to do something before I go crazy."

"Who better to run a secret magical school?" Catherine said, appearing in the doorway. "She needs something to do. She mopes around the house too much."

"I do not mope." Hermione countered defiantly.

"Yes, you do."

"You're mean."

"I love you, too."

"Alright, fine. Hermione, you and Catherine go with... wait, who are you anyway?"

"Oh!" The witch exclaimed. "Melody. My name is Melody Marr. I teach advanced magic at the school."

"Ah, okay. So, you two go with Melody to the school. I'll..." Just then, a knock came at the front door. Having lived at the manor for six months, they had never once had any visitors drop in. They didn't know the neighbors and most magical folk didn't understand the usefulness of the door. So, it was with caution that Hermione pulled open the door. A tall black man stood at the threshold. He wore the badge of a San Francisco police officer.

"Can I help you?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"I need your help." The man said. He paused, and said. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten my manners. Darryl Morris, San Francisco Police Department. I already know who you are. That's why I'm here." Hermione pulled back the door, and motioned for Darryl to enter.

Harry, Hermione, Catherine, Ginny, Ron and Luna gathered in the sitting room as Darryl explained what he wanted.

"So, why did you come to us?" Ron asked.

"The sisters told me to. They said that if I ever needed help with any cases, I should seek you out. So, I did."

"How did you know the Halliwells?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, it's a long story. Suffice to say, we were good friends for a long time. I knew all about their magical secret. They said that once they were gone, that you'd be able to help me."

"They... they knew they were going to die? And that we would get their powers?" Darryl seemed puzzled by this statement.

"You... you mean you don't know. I'd thought they'd told you... unless they couldn't. Is... is it safe to talk here?" he asked. "Can anyone else listen in?"

"No," Hermione told him. "We've placed every magical protection imaginable on this house. We're fine. Go ahead."

"Alright… The sisters aren't dead. They sacrificed their powers so they could lead normal lives. I thought they told you."

"I knew it!" Hermione exclaimed, practically leaping from her seat. "I knew they weren't dead!"

"Could we find them? We could use their Wiccan knowledge." Luna said.

"Well, they told me where they are. I suppose you could go there... They moved into an apartment building near the bay bridge. The Shore Apartments, I think it was. Room 207."

"Okay, I'll go to them. Catherine, go with Melody to Magic School and hold off the Elders. The rest of you, help Darryl with whatever he needs. Just be careful."

"We're always careful." Harry give her a quick kiss, and whispered, "You too."

**-.-**

Hermione orbed in behind a dumpster outside the building. She hurried up the stairs to the third floor, and knocked on room 207's door. She waited for two minutes before the door opened very slowly and a pretty, dark haired woman peeked through the small crack.

"Hello?" the woman at the door said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hermione Granger. The one who got your powers." The woman gasped, and pulled Hermione inside. The room was large, nicely decorated, and seemed to have an almost magical feel in the air. Paige closed the door and turned back to Hermione.

"So," she said, offering Hermione a seat. "How did you find us?"

"Your friend Darryl told me where you were." Paige sighed wearily

"Of _course_ he did. So, you've come into our… _your_ powers well?"

"Yeah… Phoebe's empathy power is causing my daughter some problems, but she's learning to handle it."

"What problems is my power causing now?" Phoebe asked, entering the room from the kitchen with Piper behind her. "Oh, hello." she said when she spotted Hermione. She held out her hand, which Hermione took and they shook. A sudden, unexplainable warmth flooded through Hermione's entire body. It was, quite possibly, the most wonderfully amazing feeling she had ever experienced. Along the handshake could have only lasted a few seconds, as normal handshakes do, it felt like far longer when Phoebe released her hand.

Hermione glanced briefly into the middle Halliwell's eyes and knew that she had felt the very same thing that she had and suspected that she was about to ask what had happened. The question was avoided, however, by Paige who had apparently noticed nothing strange and said;

"This is Hermione Granger. The one who got our powers." Paige explained.

"Well, one of the ones," said Hermione, breaking eye contact with Phoebe and turning to Paige. "Harry Potter and my daughter, Catherine, have some of them too."

"Hmm, well there isn't anyone we'd rather have our powers than Harry Potter." Piper said. Phoebe nodded her agreement

"If I may ask, why us?" asked Hermione. "Why give your powers to us?"

Well, we didn't know _who _would get them. We just knew we had to get rid of them if we were going to get out of the trouble we were in. We faked our deaths and cast a spell on the entire family. That meant Leo, Wyatt, and Chris as well. We worded the spell so that our powers would go to the most powerful force of goodness in the world. I guess that was you."

"Well, they came at an excellent time. We're up to our necks in dark wizards. The power boost certainly helped."

"I'm glad." Phoebe said. "At least we managed to help someone. So, you said my powers are giving your daughter problems? How, she could only be... what? Five, Six at the most?"

"Actually, she's twenty-three." Hermione told them.

"Twenty-three!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Damn, how old were you when you had her? Four?"

"She's from the future. She came back to stop Harry and I from dying and kill an evil wizard."

"Sounds familiar." Paige said, grinning at Piper.

"Yeah, well just remember. She's probably hiding something of grave importance from you, only to decide to tell you two days before it happens."

"She's actually been incredibly forthcoming with knowledge about the future."

"Too bad Chris wasn't." Phoebe muttered.

"Chris?"

"Long story," said Piper. "He came back from the future too, but refused to tell us about... well... a lot of stuff."

"Well," Hermione said, standing to her feet. "It's been a true pleasure meeting you all. I'm sorry to just drop in on you like this, but I should be going. Good luck having normal lives. I can't say that I don't..." At that moment a black clad man appeared in the room. He had strange markings on his face and wielded a crossbow. He leveled the weapon at Paige and fired. The arrow struck her in the right shoulder. She collapsed to the ground. He turned and stared at Hermione.

"Hmm, another Whitelighter, eh? Interesting..." He raised the bow again, but Hermione was faster. He exploded in a fireball that burned a hole in the carpet. Phoebe fell at Paige's side. She carefully removed the arrow.

"Piper..." Phoebe whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "We don't have anyone who can heal her."

"Move!" Hermione said, waving Phoebe away. She placed her hand over Paige's wound and a warm, golden light emitted from her hand. Paige's eyes fluttered open.

"Thanks," She said as Phoebe threw her arms around her sister's neck. "Phoebe, you're choking me!"

"Oh," Phoebe said, releasing her sister. "Sorry..."

"Not to break up this happy little moment," Hermione said. "But we have a problem."

"Yeah," Piper said grimly "We do. How did he find us...?"

"He probably followed me. If _he_ found you, then they'll be more. You can't stay here. You should come back to the manor with me." The sisters exchanged looks.

"Are... are you sure you have room for us?" Phoebe asked. Hermione smiled.

"Oh, I think we can come up with something."


	15. Draco's Duty

-.-

**Chapter 15**

**Draco's Duty**

-.-

Blue-white light filled the sitting room as Hermione and the Halliwell sisters appeared.

"It's good to be back." Paige said with a smile, looking around the room with her hands on her hips.

"It is," Phoebe agreed. "I've missed this place."

"Harry! Get down here!" Hermione shouted. Blue-white light filled the room once again, and Harry appeared in the doorway.

"What's up?" He asked. "Oh, you've found them."

"Yes, I did. That's not all I've found, unfortunately. A darklighter attacked earlier and almost killed Paige."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, turning toward Paige.

"Yeah," she muttered, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Good, so what do you suggest we do?" Harry inquired, returning his attention to Hermione.

"I say we wait it out." Phoebe suggested.

"Wait it out?"

"Well, yeah. We don't know how many demons know we're still alive. It could just be the one darklighter, or the entire Underworld could know about us. If no other demons attack, we'll know it was just him. After all, what demon would want to share the glory of killing the Charmed Ones?"

"Yeah, but why would demons be concerned with you? You don't even have your powers anymore."

"The Underworld doesn't know that. They thought we died. If they figure out that we didn't die they'll come after us and without our powers..."

"That's why you're here," Hermione put in. "You know as well as we do that demons think twice before attacking here."

"Not all of them." Piper muttered.

"Maybe not, but the point is you _are_ safe... er... here than you would be elsewhere."

"What about the Magic School?" Harry suggested. "Kat said no one could be killed there, it would be the safest place."

"We should see if Catherine's managed to convince the Elders to let the school remain, first."

"I'll go," Harry told her. "You should rest. You've done enough today." Hermione glared at him.

"Harry, I'm pregnant. I'm not dying."

"Yeah, well..." Harry orbed away. Hermione sighed.

"I swear, if I didn't love him..." she muttered.

-.-

Harry appeared in the Great Hall of Magic School a moment later. The Hall was filled with bustling students heading for various classes, teachers hurried in every direction on important business. Harry spotted Catherine standing with a group of three men dressed in white and gold robes. Harry made his way toward them.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry said. "But we have a bit of a problem."

"Just a minute," Catherine told the Elders. She and Harry walked away from the Elders and into an empty classroom. Catherine jerked the door closed behind them and sighed angrily

"Those Elders are impossible!" She growled, shaking her head. "What's going on?"

"Hermione found the Halliwells," said Harry. "But so did a demon. They're at the manor now, but we thought they'd be safest here. That is, if there's even going to be a 'here'."

"Well, the Elders have agreed to let the school remain, but only so long as Mum can keep it safe."

"Well, she'll be able to do that." Harry said confidently.

"Yeah, well the Elders aren't so confident." Catherine muttered.

"So, what do they want us to do?"

"They've agreed to allow Mum to run the school on a trail basis and see how it goes."

"Great! I'll go let the others know."

"Wait; don't leave me with those dreadful El..." Harry orbed out. "Damn..."

-.-

"Hey!" Harry said when he arrived back at the manor. "The Elders agreed to let you run the school."

"Well, that's good then." Paige said. "We should..." A pillar of fire burned in the center of the room, and a tall man appeared. A ball of blue energy formed in his hand.

"Mione, get them out of here!" Hermione leapt forward, gripping the sister's hands. They vanished in a shower of blue-white lights. Harry waved his hand toward the demon as he usually did when attacked, only this time a brilliant bolt of lightening emitted from his finger tips. The blue bolts coursed through the demon, who immediately exploded. Harry held up his hand, studying his finger tips.

"Hmm," He said, satisfied. "Very Star Warsy."

Harry orbed into Magic School a moment later to find Catherine and Halliwell sisters engaged in conversation. Harry made his way toward them.

"... Elders always have been stubborn... beings." Paige said the last word as though she hadn't wanted to use the word 'beings'.

"Well, as long as I don't have to deal with them again, I'm fine." Catherine said darkly.

"The Elders certainly love sticking their orbs into everybody's business. They definitely enjoy calling on the Charmed Ones when the shit hits the fan."

"Wonderful." Catherine muttered.

"Has anyone heard from Ron and the others?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Catherine told him. "Some demon has been killing witches. They think they found him, but... that was two hours ago."

"They'll be fine." Harry said. "They know what they're doing. Where's Hermione?"

"In a meeting with the Elders," said Catherine. "Still trying to get the school open."

"Any luck finding Leo and the boys?"

"Not yet," Catherine muttered, annoyed. "We're trying to scry for them, but its a severe pain in the ass."

"Don't be so negative, Catherine." Phoebe said. "This is Magic School, after all."

"And it's going to stay that way." Hermione said strolling toward them, a broad smile on her face.

"You convinced them to keep it open?" Catherine asked.

"Indeed, I did." Catherine shrugged.

"Well, I don't know how you did it. They wouldn't listen to a word I said."

"Yeah, well. I just had to... persuade them." Harry laughed.

"You threatened them, didn't you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. Now, if you don't mind I have a school to run." Sheturned and strode from the room.

"Did she just stand up to the Elders, and win?" Paige asked. Harry nodded.

"Honestly, I think she did. She was always a bit…er... feisty. I suppose since she's pregnant she's gotten even more so."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Piper was..." Phoebe stopped when she noticed Piper's glare. "Oh... right, yeah. Sorry."

-.-

"I don't want to do this anymore! I won't!" A cold, cruel, laugh echoed through the chamber.

"You haven't a choice! I control you."

"I won't go back. I won't hurt her."

"That's good, because I don't want you to hurt her. I want you to earn her trust. Get close to her, and make sure she believes you are who you say you are. Then I want you to destroy her. Make her see that she can't even depend on her own instincts, her feelings. Also, make your move on the girl as soon as you can. You know the spell to use to make her... see things your way."

"Fine, but after this. I'm done. I don't care who wins this fucking war, but I'm out of it."  
Voldemort considered Malfoy's words.

"You get me what I want, and I'll let you go." Draco nodded and Disapparated.

-.-

"Morning, sunshine!" Harry exclaimed as he entered his bedroom, causing Hermione to jump.

"Do you have to do that every morning?" Hermione asked sleepily.

"Did I scare you? I'm sorry. Forgive me?" Hermione smiled.

"Of course," She said, kissing him. She cut the kiss short, however. Shorter than she would have two weeks ago, anyway. You see, Hermione was worried. Yes, yes, I know you're all saying, "She's always worried!", but today it was different. Something about Harry was... wrong. She had noticed it just after their first visit to Magic School. Harry acted differently, even seemed to speak differently, and he certainly kissed differently. She'd questioned him about it several times, but he always told her he was fine. Hermione knew this was a lie… or maybe she was simply paranoid. Maybe it was her that was changing, not Harry. She watched him as he moved toward the bathroom. He even walked differently. Something was up, and Hermione was determined to find out what.

If Hermione was worried, it was nothing compared to what Catherine was feeling. Last night, she had done something terrible. So terrible, she doubted any amount of repentance would be enough to save her from spending eternity in Purgatory. Everything had been fine until Harry had entered the kitchen. He'd moved toward her with a strange look in his eyes. He'd kissed her and after that, Catherine could remember nothing. Not a single thing. Not until she'd woken up, lying in bed with her father. Harry had told her it could have happened to anyone with a past like theirs, but that didn't soothe her.

Given time to think about it, she now felt that Harry had done something to her. Taken away her free will and forced her into it. That's why she couldn't remember anything. These were all theories, of course. A fact which didn't make her feel any better. At first, she had planned to tell Hermione everything. The more she thought about it, the worse the idea sounded. Hermione was sure to be furious… and she tended to blow things up when she got angry. The fact that Catherine wanted to stay in one piece made her reconsider telling Hermione about the incident. She was shocked from her thoughts when Hermione entered the kitchen a noticed her sitting at the table.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, noticing the look on her daughter's face.

"Who? Me? Nothing… Why?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"You don't look too good." she said.

"No, no... I... I'm fine."

"If you say so…." Hermione relented. She sat down and sighed.

"Alright, now what's wrong with _you_?" Catherine asked.

"It's Harry. There's... something different about him. I think there's something he isn't telling me. I don't know what it is, but I will find out." Catherine gulped and leapt from the table.

"Work! I'm late. Gotta go." She grabbed her purse and raced out the back door. Hermione watched the door swing shut.

'Great," she thought. 'My fiancé is acting weird, and now my daughter is too. What is going on with these people?'


	16. Bad Combination

-.-

**Chapter 16**

**Bad Combination**

-.-

Hermione and Harry had begun to drift apart. Hermione rarely spoke to him, and when she did it was only to answer a question or to say she was leaving for Magic School. Harry was lying to her. She knew it. Harry often attempted to convince her otherwise, but she knew these were only more lies. Because of this, the Power of Three had been broken.

Ron, who had known Harry as long as Hermione, knew that Harry was hiding something as well but he was doing his best to stay out of it. Luna and Ginny fully agreed and continued to tell Harry to simply tell the truth. It wasn't until late November that Hermione began to question if Harry was really… Harry. He had asked about things he should have already known, missed several important Order meetings, and botched incredibly simple potions.

Hermione had resisted questioning Harry directly, but began researching ways to determine one's true identity with the help of the Halliwell sisters. Meanwhile, Catherine was about to crack. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold in her secret much longer. Deciding that Hermione couldn't hate her forever, she resolved to tell her what she had done.

"Mum, we need to talk." Catherine said, orbing into Hermione's office at Magic School.

"About what?" Hermione asked, looking up from the massive pile of papers littering her desk and gesturing at the empty chair in from of her. Catherine sat down, looked at the floor and did not speak

"Okay," Hermione said, eyeing her daughter curiously. "What's up?" Catherine sighed.

"You're going to kill me, I know it."

"What?" Hermione asked, shocked. "Why? Wait… what did you do?"

"Alright, look. I've done something... unforgivable. Something you can't possibly forgive me for, because I can't forgive myself..."

"Have you started drinking again?" Hermione asked, a suspicious look on her face.

"No, I have not! I just..."

"Spit it out, already!"

"Damn it! Fine... I slept with Harry." At this, Catherine dove from the chair, covered her head with her hands and hid under her chair. Hermione stood up, leaned forward enough to peer over the desk, and said,

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to blow me up." Catherine said, risking a glance at Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Get up, Kat." Hermione said, returning to her seat. Catherine slowly stood and sat back down, glancing nervously at Hermione.

"You... err... you aren't going to blow me up?" To Catherine's surprise, Hermione smiled.

"Of course not, " Hermione said. "Although, I have to ask... do you remember it?" This wasn't the reaction Catherine had expected at all. With Hermione on a continuous roller coaster of emotions, she'd figured her mother would have blown the school up in her anger. Instead, she'd asked if she, Catherine, remembered the event. In all actuality, she didn't remember a single thing and she told Hermione so.

"I thought so," Hermione said miserably. "Kat, I think he might have put a spell on you. I think he made you want to sleep with him. It would explain why you've no memory of the night."

"Out of curiosity, why aren't you... you know… mad."

"I'm not mad, Kat. I'm beyond mad. I've already progressed into furious, and I'm rapidly approaching the pissed off phase. The focus of said anger, however, is not you."

"It... it isn't?"

"No, I'm mad at Harry... or whoever it is that's pretending to be Harry."

"What?" Catherine asked, believing she had simply misheard.

"I don't think that Harry... is... Harry. Did that make sense?"

"Yeah, actually it did. Are you saying that someone captured or killed Harry and took his place as a spy?" Hermione stood and began to pace.

"No, they couldn't have killed him, because if they did... you wouldn't be here. Besides, they'd have to use a Polyjuice potion to take his appearance, so..."

"Actually, they wouldn't." Paige said from the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help overhearing what you said, and a Polyjuice potion isn't the only way to take the physical form of another. Watch." Paige snapped her fingers. Glowing lights surrounded her, and when the lights faded, Harry stood before them. She snapped her fingers again and she returned to her original form.

"Glamouring," Paige said simply. "It saved our collective asses a year ago after we vanquished Zankou. It's rare that anyone even notices a difference. Not to mention you don't have to ingest a disgusting potion."

"But who..." Catherine asked. "Who could have done this?" Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Who wormed their way into our lives by playing on my trust? Who lived amongst us for two months, learning everything there is to know about us? Who vanished without saying a word and hasn't been seen since? Draco Malfoy."

Draco raced up the stairs and into the attic of the Halliwell manor. He darted toward the Book of Shadows and rapidly flipped through it. He'd been figured out, Voldemort had told him so. How he knew, he didn't know. All he cared about was finding something in this bloody book that would help him.

"Here it is!" Draco exclaimed, finding the cloaking spell he'd been looking for. It was at that moment that a blast hit him full in the chest and sent him flying across the room. Draco shook his head and looked up. Hermione stood in the doorway, a look a pure fury on her face. Catherine and the Halliwell sisters stood at her side. Piper nodded in satisfaction.

"Nice," she told Hermione with a slight smile. She looked toward Draco who was scrambling to his feet. Paige tossed a small glass vial at Draco's feet. White lights surrounded him and he returned to his normal appearance.

"So," Malfoy said, trying and failing to sound carefree. "You figured it out. I must say I'm impressed. Lord Voldemort will be most aggrieved at his plan's failure."

"You know, Malfoy. I really don't care how Voldemort feels. All I want to know is where Harry is. What have you done with him?"

"Why ask me? You don't honestly think _I'd _tell you, do you?" Hermione raised her hand again.

"I think you will." She said in a hushed whisper.

"You might want to tell us, Malfoy." Phoebe said. "Her powers are tied to her emotions, and I think she's quite emotional right now."

"You know what?" Hermione said in a far happier tone than any of them had expected from her. "This is getting boring and I've got so many things I'd rather be doing than standing here talking to you," She gave a slight wave of her hand and an old couch to Malfoy's left exploded. "So, tell us where Harry is! Spill _it_, or spill _blood_. Your choice." Draco weighed his options. Tell where Harry was being kept and Voldemort would kill him. Keep it secret, and Hermione would kill him.

"Okay," he said. "If I tell you, Voldemort will kill me. So, if I tell you... you've got to promise to keep me safe from him. Deal?"

"Tell us now or Voldemort will be the least of your worries. There are worse things I can do to you than kill you."

"Alright, fine. Follow me." Draco vanished with a loud crack.

"Stay here," Hermione told the sisters. "Call Ron, Ginny and Luna. Get them back here." She took Catherine's hand and they vanished in a column of blue-white light.

-.-

Draco, Hermione and Catherine appeared in a dark warehouse near the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Over here!" Draco called, leading them into a room in the back of the building. Taking a key out of his pocket, he opened the door. He pushed open the door and went inside. Hermione and Catherine followed him. There, sitting in the corner, his hands and feet tied together and gagged, was Harry. Hermione fell at his side, untying his hands and feet, while Catherine kept Draco covered with her wand. Hermione pulled the gag out of his mouth.

"It's so good to see you." He said, coughing.

"C'mon," Hermione said, wrapping her arm around him and helping him stand. "We're getting out of here."

-.-

Hermione was furious and Harry knew it. The moment they'd arrived at the manor, Ron and Luna had seized Draco to prevent him escaping. Hermione stood, one hand raised, prepared to blast Malfoy into bits if he flinched. Catherine had a death grip on Hermione's right hand. She gazed at Malfoy over Hermione's shoulder. Ron held onto Malfoy's right arm, and Luna his left. Ginny had her wand pressed into Malfoy's back, an angry look in her eyes.

"Why?" Hermione asked. Her voice was icy cold and strangely calm.

'The calm before the storm, perhaps?' Harry thought. Draco looked up at her through tired eyes.

"He made me," Malfoy said wearily "He forced me to do it. I… I didn't..." Hermione's hand twitched and he fell silent.

"Don't lie, Malfoy." Hermione told him, still in that icy calm tone.

"I'm not!" Malfoy exclaimed. He looked at Catherine over Hermione's shoulder.

"You believe me, don't you?" he asked, a pleading, desperate look in his eyes. Catherine shrank back behind her mother and didn't answer.

"Don't speak to her." Hermione said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Please, you've got to believe me! You can't let them take me to Azkaban!" Hermione smiled.

"Oh, you won't live long enough to get there." Hermione raised her hand, but Phoebe grabbed her arm and lowered it.

"You don't want to do this," she whispered in her ear. "It'll lead you down a road you don't want to go down. If you kill him now you'll never forgive yourself. You're not a murderer, Hermione. You can't use your powers like this… if you do… you'll become him."

It was not Phoebe's words that calmed Hermione, but her touch. The two girls had both specifically avoided any physical contact since the incident in the sisters' apartment. Neither of them had discussed what had happened with anyone, not even each other, but there was a silent understanding between the pair of them that something neither of them understood had happened between them.

Phoebe, however, hadn't even been thinking about that when she had seized Hermione's arm, and she wasn't concerned about the electric shock-like feeling now coursing through her fingers. Hermione looked back at her and Phoebe nodded encouragingly.

"Get him out of here." Hermione growled. "Take him to Dumbledore." As she, Harry and Catherine turned to leave the room, Draco laughed.

"I knew you were too weak to do it," he spat Hermione spun around. Her hand twitched and Draco's right arm disappeared in a misty red flash. Malfoy screamed in agony. Harry pulled Hermione away because she looked as though she might blow off several more body parts if he didn't.

Ginny and Luna glanced at each other as Ron vanished with Draco in tow.

"Pregnant witch, short fuse," said Ginny with a sigh. "Bad combination…. _Very_ bad combination…"

-.-

Harry led Hermione, Catherine and the Halliwell sisters into the kitchen. Harry set a mug of cocoa in front of Hermione and sat down across from her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, watching as she took a small sip.

"You're the one who was captured and held in a warehouse while Draco ripped out pieces of your hair. I should be asking you that."

"True, but you're pregnant and you blew off someone's arm. I think you need more care than I do."

"Harry, don't..."

"Could we have a minute alone?" Harry asked. Catherine and the Halliwells stood and walked from the room, all of them giving Harry and Hermione concerned looks.

"Harry, I don't want to do this right now."

"Yeah, well you might not want to, but you need to."

"I don't even know where to begin, Harry. For months I thought that he was you and you were... that he was... never mind. It just... I don't even know when the last time I saw you, when you were really you, was."

"It was just after we found the Halliwells," Harry said.

"Three months, then. He was here for three months and we never knew. Who knows how much information he gathered on us?"

"Well, it won't matter. Dumbledore'll keep him locked away for a long time, trust me."

"Harry, I can't even trust myself. Much less anyone else…"

"Now's not the time for you to start doubting yourself. You're the brightest and most powerful witch I've ever met. I need you, we all do." Hermione sighed.

"I'm not that important, Harry. You're just as powerful as I am, I…"

"That's not what I meant. You are the _reason_ I continue to fight. You give me a reason to keep this up. Without you, I wouldn't care who won. There are days when I just want to leave. Tell Dumbledore and the Order to go screw themselves and abandon them all. When I supported the Muggleborn act, it was because I knew you were all that kept me going. I knew that I would have to lose you to keep you safe. If Voldemort discovered how important you were to me, he'd... he would go after you.

"I knew you hated me for what I had done, but I didn't care. I couldn't let him get to you. I hoped that after the war was over I could find you and tell you why I did what I did, but it didn't work out that way. Sometimes I can't help but think... is it really worth it? Is all you've suffered through... we've all suffered through... worth stopping Voldemort?" Hermione nodded.

"Yes, it is."

"It's not fair, to you or anyone else."

"No one said life was fair. It's cruel, in fact. Nothing we can do to change that, though."

"I just wish you hadn't been hurt so much." Harry whispered.

"I would follow you to the end of the earth and beyond, Harry. Physical problems are... not so important." Harry gave her a small smile, but said nothing.

"It's good to have you back. Harry." Hermione said. Harry grinned.

"It's good to _be _back."

-.-

"You swore you'd leave Harry untouched! That was our deal!"

"_I _did not touch Harry Potter, Ms. Granger." Voldemort hissed furiously. "Draco Malfoy, in the performance of his duties to me, touched Harry Potter. I never ordered him to do so."

"Why didn't you tell me about him?" Hermione demanded. "I'm already giving you information on the Order. I've gotten you everything you've asked! What was Draco doing?"

"Mister Malfoy was getting information on _you_, Ms. Granger," said Voldemort. "You, the most dedicated, the most loyal witch in Dumbledore's circle. I couldn't trust you so easily… even with my coercive methods. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to me to protect your child, but I couldn't be certain how long your resolve would hold. I couldn't be sure you would fulfill your promise."

"I will," said Hermione. "I promised I'd do as you asked. I know what you want and you'll get it as soon as Catherine's born. I'll figure a way to work it out…"

"You had better. Now go." Hermione strode from Voldemort's chamber, her eyes clouded with tears. She stopped halfway down a dark corridor and leaned against the wall. She waited for a moment, nodded as though coming to a difficult conclusion, and whispered,

"God forgive me."


	17. The Wizard Civil War

-.-

**Chapter 17**

**The Wizard Civil War**

-.-

"I'm worried, Professor… Sending Malfoy to the manor… I'm concerned Voldemort knows what we're doing." Dumbledore looked consolingly across his desk at Hermione, who looked so upset he thought she was about to cry.

"I know the task that I have assigned you is a very difficult and dangerous one," he said quietly. "The false information you have been feeding to Voldemort has allowed the Order to operate more freely than we have previously. There is enough truth in the information you have been passing on to him that it is believable.

"Knowing Voldemort as I do, I feel that Mister Malfoy's infiltration of your home was to ferret out whether or not you were being truthful… and perhaps break the bonds of trust you all share with one another. Voldemort may underestimate love, but he knows it has power. I have no doubt that he worries you might be lured by into the fold even if you have indeed been truly working for him."

"He's given me little choice," Hermione replied. "He's threatened Catherine…"

"I will protect Catherine, Ms. Granger; do not concern yourself with her safety. She will be fine. It is you I am concerned about. I'm sending you into more danger than anyone else. But that risk has netted us a great deal of valuable information. What is it that he's asked you to get for him this time?"

"Information about Hogwarts' defenses," said Hermione. "I think he's planning to attack the school."

"Ah, yes. That will not be an easy task to complete. When does he plan to strike?"

"He hasn't said and I didn't think it wise to ask," said Hermione. "But from what I can tell he isn't well prepared enough for an assault of that size."

"Good, with any luck that will give us some time to prepare. You should get back home."

"Two things before I go, sir. Firstly, and I know I've said this before but… you mustn't tell Harry any of this. He isn't to know what I've been doing."

"I will tell him nothing, I assure you," Dumbledore promised her.

"Good," said Hermione. "As to the second... I need to know something. There's a chance that... well, that Voldemort might… That he could learn what I've done and… I.. if that happens... I need to know that you'll protect Catherine and Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes, sir. Harry and I decided on a name for the new baby."

"Ah," said Dumbledore smiling. "Yes. They will be protected. Good luck, Ms. Granger."

-.-

"I don't like this. Your plan failed. She nearly killed me. Maybe you forgot, but you sent me up against the Charmed Ones! They aren't the most powerful force of good in the universe for nothing, after all. They figured us out in no time!"

"You should be thankful. I repaired your arm, after all. I don't create plans unless I know they will succeed. My plan did, in fact, succeed. Except for the fact that Hermione didn't kill you, but... one out of two isn't bad. Believe me, Malfoy, you were more valuable that I would have thought. I am now more confident that we have a Charmed One working with us, against her will perhaps, but she knows she has no choice… not if she cares for her family." Voldemort shook his head disgustedly. "Love," he spat. "It's nothing more than weakness… She'll provide us with what we need. Now go! Grindelwald and the Source are coming. They must not discover us."

-.-

November faded into December and a thick blanket of snow fell upon a mystified San Francisco, what with being a city that had no memory of snowfall during its existence. Catherine revealed to her family that she had cast a spell to cause the snowfall because to her... it just wasn't Christmas without snow. Harry got them a massive pine tree and magically expanded the living room in order to accommodate it. Piper, in her natural element, prepared an excellent dinner on Christmas Day. As the holidays slipped into the past and the New Year dawned, Lord Voldemort became more active than he had been...

"Are you sure about this, Paige?" Catherine asked, eyeing the youngest Halliwell doubtfully as she flipped through the Book of Shadows. "How do you even know this guy?"

"He's a Seer," said Paige, continuing her search through the Book. "Zook is a bit… odd, I'll admit, but if we can find him, he should be able to tell us what happens in the future… and how to win the war."

"Alright, fine," said Catherine rather irritably. "Let's do it then."

"It's not so easy. Finding this guy... it's tricky. He doesn't like to be found," Paige reached out and grabbed Catherine's hand. Just orb. I'll explain on the way."

-.-

"Wait, he's a demon? You want us to talk with a demon?" Catherine exclaimed as they appeared in the Underworld.

"Well, yeah. Look, he's not so bad… most of the time. He can help... unless he kills us first."

"Paige!"

"Just go!"

"Fine, but if we're brutally murdered don't say I didn't tell you so."

"Zook!" Paige shouted, rolling her eyes at Catherine. "Zook, get out here!" A fireball whizzed past her head.

"No need to shout, Ms. Matthews. I heard you." Zook, it seemed, was an elderly man. He was balding, but still retained a small amount of hair on the sides of his head. He stooped slightly and moved slowly, but Catherine had a feeling that this was an act.

"So," he said gingerly. "What is it that you need?"

"We need," Paige said, folding her arms over her chest. "Your help," Zook laughed loudly, a long cackle.

"Help? A Charmed One needs help from a demon? I find that surprising."

"I'm not a Charmed One anymore, Zook." Paige said, her eyes narrowing angrily

"Ah, yes. I had heard some rumors that you died. Apparently, that's not the case. No matter. What is it that you need my assistance with?"

"We are at war with a dark wizard," Catherine told him. "We need to see into the future and discover how to defeat him." Zook's gaze fell on Catherine for the first time.

"You... you are... Charmed, are you not?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"The Charmed Ones are destined for greatness… and terrible loss." Zook said simply.

"Loss? What are you talking about?"

"No matter. That's not why you are here. Listen to me carefully, Catherine..."

"I never said my name was..."

"SILENCE! Let me finish! You see, all this has happened before, and it will all happen again. The Avatars are correct. Good and Evil will eventually destroy one another. Once that occurs, time resets itself. Everything begins once again. This has happened thousands of times. Each time, the universe runs the same way. Evil wins the same battles each time. The same with Good. The only difference is that different people are in your place. It's all part of the Grand Design. Nothing, save what the Avatars offer, can change that.

"The battle which will decide the victor of your war, a war which has been fought many times before, is already set. Whether you win or lose... I cannot tell you. Only know that when that battle is over, there was nothing you could have done to change it. In fact, whether you win or lose is of little concern. If you win, another Dark Wizard will one day rise to challenge you again. If you lose, Lord Voldemort's reign won't last forever. Good will rally under a new banner and end his rule. Now, if you don't mind, I have business to attend to."

"Wait! When will this happen? When will good and evil destroy each other? Is it soon?" Zook laughed.

"No, my dear. Not in your lifetime, or your grandchildren's lifetime, or, in fact, your grandchildren's grandchildren's lifetime."

"Thank you," Paige said appreciatively

Catherine gripped Paige's hand and started to orb away, but Zook spoke once more.

"When you believe you have won, when victory seems certain, that is when you must not lower your guard. That is when your true enemy will strike." Before Paige or Catherine had a chance to speak, Zook had shimmered away. Catherine and Paige appeared at the manor and were shocked to discover the living room full.

"What's going on?" Paige asked. Piper stood and looked at Catherine.

"Your sister is coming."

-.-

"How is she?" Catherine asked as one of the healers stepped into the waiting area of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

"Both your mother and sister are perfectly well." The healer replied

"Can we see them?" Harry asked.

"Certainly, follow me." The healer led Harry and Catherine through a set of double doors and down the corridor to the room where Hermione was recovering.

"Hey..." Hermione said drowsily as Harry and Catherine approached.

"How're you doing?"

"Good, all things considered..." Harry smiled down at Hermione as Catherine scooped her baby sister out of a healer's arms.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Catherine said happily.

"She certainly is. You know, I think..." A series of loud cracks filled the room, and a group of Ministry wizards appeared, wands raised. They moved instantly. One shot a jet of green light at Catherine. The spell, however, hit a bluish energy shield which suddenly emitted from her palm. The shield expanded so it covered Harry and Hermione as well. One of the Ministry wizards exploded as Hermione waved her hand. Harry hit another wizard with a bolt of lightening which emitted from his fingertips. The Ministry's spells simply bounced off the shield, and soon the wizards were forced to retreat.

"God damn it!" Harry shouted as Ron, Luna, Ginny and the others hurried into the room, attracted by the noise. "I've had it. They attack us here? Now? No, not anymore. Screw the Ministry!" Harry knelt at Hermione's bedside.

"I hate to leave you, but this has to stop," Harry whispered. "Now." Hermione smiled and cupped Harry's cheek with her hand.

"I know it does, Harry. Good luck." Harry captured Hermione's lips with a passionate kiss.

"I..." Hermione began when the separated, but Harry had already orbed out. Piper grinned.

"Get used to that," she told her. "Leo used to do it to me all the time."

-.-

The Ministry of Magic was a fairly peaceful place in downtown London in the early afternoon hours; at least it was until Harry Apparated into the Atrium with his wand clamped firmly in his hand and a furious expression on his face. By the time Minister Fudge had been summoned and taken a lift up to the Atrium, the entrance was in shambles. Harry himself stood atop the shattered remains of the golden statues in the memorial fountain, blasting Ministry wizards with bolts of lightening.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Ministry!" Harry exclaimed when he saw the Minister and his aides rushing forward. "I'm here to speak on behalf of my soon-to-be wife, Hermione Granger and on that of the entire Order of the Phoenix. I hereby demand that the Anti-Muggleborn decree be revoked at once. I will no longer serve the Ministry in the war against Lord Voldemort until this happens. Hermione just gave birth to my daughter and we were attacked in St. Mungo's. This is unacceptable!

"Mr. Potter, you do realize what you're saying, correct?" asked Fudge. "You are attempting to undermine everything we've worked for!"

"I'm saying, Minister, that is you refuse this, I'll bring the power of the Charmed Ones down upon you, and believe me when I say I don't care how many of you die in order to protect my family. I don't care whether or not I start a civil war in the process. I will do so if need be."

"You would threaten us?"

"Consider it a friendly warning, Minister. Believe me, if I start threatening you, you won't have to ask if I'm doing so. I'm going to do whatever I have to to protect Hermione." Fudge hesitated. Harry busied himself by electrocuting an Auror who was trying to get into a position to curse him.

"Very well, Mr. Potter." The Minister relented. "You'll get what you want."

"Excellent choice," said Harry. He Disapparated with a loud crack. Fudge shook his head.

"I'm glad you think so, because I'm going to do whatever I need to do as well."

-.-

"So, where do we stand?"

"It all depends on whether Harry manages to get the Ministry to stand down. If they don't... Harry!" Catherine exclaimed as Harry appeared with a loud, echoing crack.

"The Ministry agreed to back off." He said, sitting down at the foot of Hermione's bed.

"That's great!" Catherine exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "Without the Ministry on our tail, we can..." At that moment, an owl flew through the window and dropped a letter on Phoebe's head. She pulled the yellowish envelope off her head and ripped it open. She read a few lines, gasped, and handed the letter over to Harry to read. Catherine moved to read it over his shoulder.

_Harry,_

_I'm very short of time so I'll be brief. Your 'meeting' with the Ministry failed and they have launched a full scale assault upon Hogwarts School to force you out. Don't return to the school to help, there's nothing you can do. I do not believe they are aware of the manor, but you still may not be safe there. I advise leaving St. Mungo's at once as Aurors are undoubtedly on their way._

_Good luck to all of you,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

"Those bastards!" Harry shouted, causing them all to jump. "It seems I've made things worse. Alright, we've got to go. If they're attacking the school then they'll definitely come for us."

"Where are we going to go?" Ginny asked. "They'll follow us anywhere!"

"Magic School," Phoebe said. "Even the Ministry won't attack there. "

"What about Mum?" Catherine asked. "She can't leave the hospital."

"We don't have a choice!" shouted Harry. "We've got to go!"

-.-

"This has got to stop." Harry muttered for what must have been the thousandth time in the two weeks since their flight from St. Mungo's to Magic School. Hermione looked up from where she lay on the bed.

"Just give it time, Harry. They don't know where we are… or if they do they realize that they'd have to deal with the American Ministry of Magic if they tried to arrest us here. Muggleborns are legal here and the American Ministry doesn't have an extradition treaty with the British Ministry so there's not much Fudge can do about it." Harry closed his book and fell onto the bed next to Hermione.

"I'm just sick of all this."

"It'll end one day. One day soon."

"And how do you know that?"

"I've just got a feeling, that's all."

"Well, I hope you're right..." Harry shook his head. "No… no, this has to stop. I'm going to find Dumbledore. Voldemort be damned, Hermione, I'm going to bring down the Ministry."


	18. Act of Desperation

-.-

**Chapter 18**

**Act of Desperation**

**-**.-

Harry was true to his word. The very next day the Order of the Phoenix, with backing from the American Ministry of Magic, declared war on the British Ministry of Magic. Many wizards and witches in the Ministry disagreed with the Minister's actions, publicly condemning the treatment of muggleborns and calling for the Fudge's resignation. Hogwarts was, for the time being, still under the control of the Ministry of Magic. The Order, however, was working on a plan to retake the school… hopefully with a minimum of bloodshed.

**1329 Prescott Street, three weeks after the escape from St. Mungo's…**

"Thank you for meeting me here, Ms. Granger," said Dumbledore, slowly pacing around the kitchen. "With the school under the Ministry's control I found it difficult to arrange a meeting place."

"It's no problem, sir," said Hermione from her place at the table. "What did you want to discuss?"

"I hate to ask this but it is of grave importance…" he looked very sad and sat down at the table across from her. "What I'm going to ask of you is possibly the most dangerous thing I've asked yet."

"Whatever you need, Professor," said Hermione sincerely.

"You might not say that after I tell you what we need. I need you to join the Dark Lord full time."

"What?"

"I know Voldemort has come to trust you. He has acted on information you have delivered to him. My concern is that as long as you are still in contact with members of the Order, he may believe you are a double agent. He must believe you are completely loyal."

"What makes you think he'll trust me more if I turn up on his doorstep, effectively cutting off his link to vital Order information?" asked Hermione.

"I intend to see that he is made aware that I have discovered that you were working with him, betraying the Order," Dumbledore explained. "With no evidence to the contrary, he will believe it."

"What about Catherine?" asked Hermione. "She… Her conception date isn't for another eighteen months! I'm not going to…"

"I would never risk Catherine's safety, Hermione, I promise you that." said Dumbledore reassuringly. "Once you have what we need, I'll come for you. We'll get you out in time."

"You've yet to tell me why I'm doing this," Hermione said. "What's so important that you're willing to risk the very existence of an innocent girl?"

"The continued existence of our way of life, Ms. Granger," said Dumbledore in the most serious tone of voice she could ever remember hearing from him. "You've told me Voldemort intends to attack Hogwarts. We need to know how, when and with what combined force he will do this with.

"Should Hogwarts fall to Voldemort, the Ministry will collapse soon afterward and although I have been working on building a relationship with the Canadian, American, and Australian Ministries of Magic… for them, well… Our war is very far away."

"Okay," Hermione said at last. "Okay, I… I'll do it, but… but I'm telling my family."

"No, _no one _can know about this!" Dumbledore shouted. "If this were to get back to Voldemort then everything we've worked for will have been for nothing!"

"I'm not going to let him think I've betrayed the Order!" Hermione shot back. "I can't do that to him! I'd rather he think I was dead than that I'd turned against him!"

"Well, you cannot tell him the truth. Voldemort has the ability to see into his mind, you know this. He must not know what you are doing. Whatever you tell him, however you leave him… he must believe it. You said you'd rather he believe you're dead… Very well, we can manage that. We'll fake your death."

"He'll never forgive me for this," Hermione whispered. "He'll never understand…"

"He will," said Dumbledore kindly. "If he truly loves you, he will."

-.-

Since Elizabeth's birth the war with Lord Voldemort has gone from bad to worse. More and more deaths occur each day, and it seems that the Order of the Phoenix is close to defeat. There was one bright spot, however. The Order crushed the Ministry of Magic at Hogwarts and reclaimed the school. Cornelius Fudge was thrown from office, and Arthur Weasley rose in his place.

Hermione knew she would have to go ahead with Dumbledore's plan and she would have to do it soon. However, she had determined in the two weeks since Dumbledore had told her what she had to do that she couldn't leave without telling _someone _what she was doing. That someone was to be Catherine.

"Catherine, I need you to listen to me because this is very important." Hermione said, entering the attic where Catherine was studying the Book of Shadows and sealing the door magically behind her. "I don't have much time and there is much you need to know."

"What's going on?" Catherine asked, perplexed.

"For the last several months I've been working closely with Voldemort," Hermione said, not bothering to cushion that particular blow.

"What?" Catherine shouted at the top of her voice. Hermione was instantly glad that she had decided to soundproof the attic as well as seal the door.

"Catherine, please, let me finish." Hermione pressed. "It's all been on Dumbledore's orders. I've been getting what little information I can for the Order and passing information Dumbledore gives me to Voldemort. There's just enough truth to what I'm telling him that he believes it… or so _we _believe.

"The problem is… We know Voldemort is planning to attack Hogwarts. Dumbledore needs to know how he's going to do it. What size army has Voldemort assembled… when will the attack take place… So, I've got to go to Voldemort… permanently. Dumbledore's going to see to it that Voldemort is informed that I've been discovered as a spy in the Order so he won't question me."

"But… but what are you going to tell Dad?" Catherine asked.

"Dumbledore's going to help me fake my death," Hermione explained. "Dumbledore is afraid that Voldemort would be able to find out the truth due to his connection to Harry. We can't risk him knowing the truth. I'm not even supposed to be telling you, but… I needed someone to know."

"I came back here to save you, not to let you die again." said Catherine firmly. "I'm not letting you walk into the lion's den!" Hermione smiled rather serenely.

"You know, sometimes I don't think that's why you came back at all. Maybe you just returned to understand _why _Harry and I died the way we did, not to change it."

"You don't believe that."

"Don't I? Everything happens for a reason. Whether or not that's the reason... I don't know."

"I can't lose you again, Mum. I can't." Hermione cupped Catherine's cheek with her hand.

"You are the bravest person I know, Kat. You can do this. I know you can."

"When are you leaving?" Hermione fixed Catherine with her most serious stare. The girl knew what her mother was going to say long before she actually spoke.

"Today,"

"Fine… fine, I'll keep quiet on this. I'll lie to Dad... on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"Promise me you'll come back."

"I promise that I'll try to."

"That's not good enough."

"It'll have to be." Hermione pulled Catherine into a tight hug and gave her a small smile.

"There is actually one other thing I need from you, Kat. Harry's going to go a bit crazy. Take care of him for me, okay? He'll need you."

"I can handle it, Mum."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Hermione closed the Book of Shadows and placed it back on its stand. She picked up a potion vial and sighed. She gave Catherine one last look, smiled and walked to the door. She paused when she reached it, hesitated, and then continued on. The moment Hermione's shadow vanished from sight, the tears Catherine had barely managed to hold in began to fall.

-.-

"No, no. That wasn't exactly what happened…" said Ron darkly, glaring across the table at Harry, who shrugged.

"Yes it was. You said, 'I'm not going back in the forest.' and the next thing I know you're on your broomstick headed for..."

"Hey, Harry. There's a demon at Golden Gate Park," Hermione said, appearing at the kitchen door.

"Want me to go with you?" Harry asked.

"No, I can handle it. I just wanted to tell you something before I go."

"Okay," Harry responded, standing and following her into the conservatory.

"What's this about?" Harry inquired, noticing the look on Hermione's face.

"Nothing, I... uh... I just wanted you to know how much I love you."

"I already know, Mione." Harry said. Hermione gave him a long, passionate kiss.

"See you later..." Hermione muttered. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mione. Be careful out there."

"I will..." She turned and hurried to the front door. She pulled it open, stepped through and closed it behind her. She sighed and leaned up against it.

"I am so sorry, Harry." she whispered, before rushing off down the street.


	19. Love and Loss

-.-

**Chapter 19**

**Love and Loss**

-.-

"I can't believe she's gone..." Harry muttered, holding his face in his hands. "It's not fair... it's not _right._"

"No," Catherine agreed. "It's not. It seems so... strange... without her here. It doesn't even feel like the same world anymore."

"It's not the same world... it won't ever be again."

"What do we do now?" Catherine asked, wiping the tears out of her eyes. Harry shook his head.

"I don't know... I don't... care. Doesn't matter anymore, nothing does."

"You're just... giving up, then? After all we've done? After all Mum has done? She died for this! You give up now and her sacrifice means nothing! If that's the case and we're just giving up, then you can send me back to the future now, because I've got no reason to remain in a fucked up world that's just as bad as the one I left behind!"

"She gave me a reason to fight, Kat. She was the reason I stayed as long as I have. Now that she's gone... I don't even know where to start..."

"How do you think I feel? I've lost her twice! I held her in my arms as she died the first time. I came here to save my family, but I failed. I just want Voldemort to pay for what he's done. I don't care if I die doing it... someone has to make him pay."

"I don't even know if we can beat him..."

"We can still try. It's what Mum would want."

"Are you certain? Is that what she would really want? Even after all this...?" Catherine nodded.

"Yes, she would." Harry sighed and gazed down at the Dark Forest. "If she knew you were thinking of giving up on this, she'd... face it, Dad. She'd kick your ass."

"She probably would," Harry said quietly. "Alright then..." The door to the Astronomy Tower opened and Ron, Ginny, Luna, Paige, Piper and Phoebe entered.

"How're you doing?" Paige asked as they all sat down.

"I have good days and bad days..." Harry muttered.

"So, where do we go from here?" Ron asked, looking around at them all.

"We keep going," Harry told them firmly. "We go after Voldemort with everything we've got. Stop him before he hurts someone else we care about. It's what Hermione would want, so it's what I'm going to do."

-.-

"I know what you're feeling, Harry." Piper said softly much later that night when she found him sitting alone in the manor's kitchen.

"Do you?" he asked, looking up at her over the top of the Book.

"Yeah, I do." Piper replied, slowly sinking into the seat across from him. "When Prue died, I felt... lost. I didn't know how to be the oldest sister."

"So what'd you do?"

"I went a little crazy, to be honest. Paige saved me, though. I don't know where I'd be without her. I owe her everything, though I've never told her. I've never even told her how much I love her... to be perfectly honest, I'm scared to. I was a different person before Prue died. I was more... emotional before that. I changed, and not in a good way. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Don't grow cold because you lost her. Hermione wouldn't want that."

"Thanks Piper, that… helped." It really didn't, but he appreciated her gesture nonetheless.

"Good, I'm glad. You'll never be whole again, Harry. But it will get better."

"Does the stabbing pain in your heart ever go away?" Piper smiled.

"Yeah, it does, but it's replaced by a permanent, dull ache."

"I suppose it's better than nothing..." Harry muttered.

"One thing I found helpful was to focus on the things I still had, not what I'd lost."

"So," Harry said, casting around for a change of subject. "Are you and your sisters going to be sticking around?"

"Of course! Hermione was our friend too, Harry. Personally, I'd like nothing more than to see him die."

"You don't have to do this, you know. It's not your war."

"It is now."

-.-

Catherine wasn't good at keeping secrets. In fact, she was terrible at it. A trait she shared with Phoebe Halliwell. If there was one thing Phoebe was good at, it was telling when someone else was keeping a secret. Her ability was boosted one hundred fold when the person in question was bad at keeping said secrets… which caused Phoebe to know almost instantly that Catherine was hiding something. Phoebe was also incredibly nosy, particularly when it came to subjects that didn't concern her.

"Catherine, can I ask you something?" Phoebe asked when she found Catherine alone in the dining room.

"Obviously, you've just done so." said Catherine, closing the Book of Shadows and placing it back on the dining table.

"I just wanted to know if you... needed to talk to someone." Phoebe said quietly, sitting down at the end of the table.

"What could I possibly need to talk about?" Catherine inquired.

"Oh, don't play with me, Kat. I know you're keeping something for us." said Phoebe.

"What makes you think that?" Catherine demanded a bit more forcefully than she had intended.

"I've got a feeling, that's all." said Phoebe with a shrug. "I can read people pretty well… empath powers or no empath powers

"Well, you're basing a lot on a feeling." Catherine said sharply.

"Sorry, I was just concerned..."

"Well, thank you, but it's unnecessary."

"Alright, if... if you're sure." Phoebe stood and turned to leave. "Three, two, one..." she whispered.

"Wait!" Catherine called after her.

'I knew it!' Phoebe said to herself, stopping and turned around to face Catherine with a completely serious expression.

"There is something... but I've promised not to say anything to anyone. Although, if I don't tell _someone _I think I'm going to explode!"

"You can tell me, Kat. It'll just be between us." Catherine sighed.

"Fine... Mum's... well she's..." Catherine looked around the room as though to make completely sure that they were alone. "She's not… dead."

"Beg your pardon?" said Phoebe, believing she had simply misheard.

"Mum... isn't dead."

"Whoa... okay, of all the things I thought you might be hiding, that certainly wasn't one. So, if she's not dead, where is she?"

"With Voldemort," said Catherine. "She's been acting as a spy for quite some time on Dumbledore's orders. She told me Voldemort's planning to attack Hogwarts and she thinks she can get more information from him if he believes she's really loyal to him.

"Dumbledore's made sure Voldemort knows that the Order knows she's been passing information to him. I'm just praying he buys her story. The thing is, Dumbledore refused to let anyone know what was happening. He's afraid if Harry finds out then Voldemort might be able to use the link between the two of them to find out the truth.

"He deserves to know, Kat." Phoebe said seriously, crossing her arms.

"I know he does, and I wish I could tell him, but I can't. Hell, even if Voldemort doesn't find out what she's up to, Dad would want to go after her and I don't think God Himself could stop him from going. I can't tell him."

"Fine, you can't. I _can_."

"Phoebe, no!" Catherine cried, leaping to her feet. "_No one_ else can be told about this. I shouldn't have told you!"

"Alright, fine," said Phoebe angrily. "Look, just remember that Harry loves Hermione more than anything else in the world. If you were in his position, wouldn't you want to know?" Without another word, Phoebe spun on her heal and left the room, leaving Catherine alone with her thoughts.

-.-

The weeks dragged on and Phoebe's words continued to plague Catherine. She knew that Phoebe had been right, but she had promised her mother that she wouldn't tell anyone. Of course, she'd already broken that promise. Would Harry really go looking for her if he found out? Or would he understand what Hermione was doing and decide not to interfere?

Whatever he would do, Catherine knew she couldn't possibly keep this from her father any longer. She would simply have to make him understand what was at stake. What Catherine didn't know was that she would never get the chance to tell Harry; for he would already know by the time she managed to arrive at a decision.

"Harry, can we talk?" Phoebe asked as she eased open the door to the bedroom he had once shared with Hermione.

"Of course, Phoebe," Harry replied. "What about?"

"Hermione," Phoebe said gently.

"I don't want to talk about her, Phoebe. I'm trying not to _think _about her."

"You need to think about her, Harry." Phoebe whispered. "You can't..."

"No, what I need is to stop feeling like the world has no reason to turn anymore!" Harry spat. Phoebe reached out and took Harry's hand. "It hurts too much to think about her…"

"Losing someone you love always hurts, Harry. Believe me, I know." Harry took Phoebe's other hand. "I've lost more people than I care to talk about, but…"

"I... I don't want a lecture, Phoebe. I just want something to stop this pain... I... I can't this anymore."

"Harry, nothing can stop it. You just have to try and get passed it." Harry's hand moved slowly up her arm, across her shoulder, and cupped her cheek.

"Phoebe, I... I can't. She meant everything to me. There is no getting passed a loss like that. It can only be numbed for a short time." Harry gently stroked her long, dark hair with his right hand, while his other slowly massaged her fingers.

"Yeah? How do you do that?" Phoebe asked. Slowly, Harry leaned in and kissed her. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her body closer to his. Unexpectedly, Phoebe returned his kiss instead of pushing him away as he thought she would. His hands slowly moved down her body, touching all of her most sensitive places, causing a low moan to escape her lips. Harry pulled away from her mouth and began to kiss down her neck, electing soft whimpers of pleasure from Phoebe.

"Harry, we... we... can't... there's something... you need to know..." Phoebe managed to say.

"I don't care, Phoebe." Harry muttered, starting to remove Phoebe's shirt. She pushed him away.

"Harry, you've got to listen to me. We cant do this."

"Yes, we can." Harry argued, resuming his efforts to relieve Phoebe of as much clothing as possible. Phoebe pushed him away once again.

"_No, we can't! _If you do this now, you'll regret it. Harry, I... I care about you a great deal. You're a very good friend, and if I thought having sex with you would help, I would. But it won't, and if you'll just listen to me for five seconds I'll explain." Harry sighed and pulled away from Phoebe and sat down on the bed.

"Alright, then what is it?" Phoebe sat down beside him and took his hand.

"Hermione's alive, Harry."

"What?" Harry asked in a shocked voice, unable to believe what he was hearing. "T... that's not possible."

"Yes, it is. According to Catherine, she was working as a spy for the Order, feeding Voldemort false information and bringing back knowledge Dumbledore could use. Dumbledore needed her to go to Voldemort now so she could get more information about an attack on Hogwarts. No one was supposed to know, but Hermione told Catherine and... she told me." Harry sat stunned.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Harry asked her after several minutes of stunned silence.

"She couldn't. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Dumbledore was afraid that Voldemort might use his link to you and discover the truth. They couldn't risk it. Kat didn't say anything because she was worried that if you found out, then you'd go after her. She couldn't let that happen." Harry reached up and cupped her cheek.

"Thanks for telling me, Phoebe…" Harry said quietly. "It should have been her, but I… I guess I understand."

"You… you aren't going to try and find her, are you?" Phoebe asked in a nervous voice.

"I wish I could. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Hermione is quite capable of taking care of herself." Phoebe leaned in a kissed Harry's cheek.

"I'm glad you've finally discovered that." She whispered. She stood up and turned to leave.

"Phoebe?" She stopped and turned to face him.

"Yeah?"

"About what almost happened between us..."

"I won't say anything if you won't." Phoebe said simply. Harry nodded. Phoebe turned and left the room, straightening her clothes and hair as she walked. Harry closed the door with a wave of his hand and fell back on the bed.

"Be careful, Mione." he whispered.


	20. Impenetrable Fortress

-.-

**Chapter 20**

**Impenetrable Fortress**

-.-

"Harry, does… does this feel wrong to you?" Harry tilted his head looking into Phoebe's warm eyes.

"No." Harry said simply, pulling her small form closer to him. The feeling of her bare flesh against his felt amazing, but he had to admit, it didn't feel right. It felt as though as though every touch, every kiss… every time Harry was with Phoebe he was breaking some strictly enforced law. The punishment for which was so terrible no one dared speak of it.

Phoebe rested her head and Harry's chest and quickly fell asleep. Despite having a beautiful girl sleeping beside him, Harry couldn't keep his thoughts from drifting back to Hermione. Maybe that's why being with Phoebe was so simple... he didn't _love _her. Hermione, on the other hand, meant to world to him… and loving her had caused her to suffer far worse than he had. The stabbing pain in Harry's heart when he thought about her only served as a stark reminder of the torment Hermione felt each day.

Harry's mind slipped back to their third year; to the moment Harry first realized he loved her. She had risked everything to follow him back in time and to save his godfather. She could easily have been killed. It was then that Harry understood how deep their friendship went. She had followed him to this place and she could have died. It was then that Harry knew he loved her. And neither Cho nor Ginny or anyone else for that matter could ever take her place in his heart. Thinking back, the thought of dying in each other's arms that night in the forest might not have been so bad.

-.-

"So, is she coming back?" Luna asked when Harry gathered them all in the kitchen a two weeks later to explain what had truly happened to Hermione.

"I don't know, Luna," said Harry grimly. "She's with Voldemort, I… We all know the risk she's taking. She may never come back."

"Then we'll plan a rescue mission!" Ron exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table.

"No," said Harry. "We can't. Her position would be compromised. Voldemort would suspect her. We can't risk it."

"So, what do we do?" Piper inquired.

"We keep up the fight against Voldemort. Dumbledore wants us at Hogwarts tomorrow morning to discuss... well, he didn't actually say what, but I assume he has a plan of some sort." The group stood to its feet and left the kitchen, everyone expect Phoebe. Harry closed the Book of Shadows and ran his hand over its cover.

"We can't keep doing this, Harry." Phoebe whispered, taking his hand.

"Why not?" Harry asked pulling Phoebe closer to him, enjoying the feeling of her body against his.

"Because it's wrong!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Harry, you still love Hermione. And when she comes back you're going to have a hard time explaining why you've been screwing me all this time."

"She's not coming back, Phoebe." Harry told her sadly. "She's always found a way before; she's always survived, but… I've just got this terrible feeling… like I'm never going to see her again.

"Don't be so sure. She's a much stronger witch... and woman... than you give her credit for."

"She's not as strong as Voldemort."

"No, maybe she's not… But she is smarter, and that's what really matters. She'll make it back, and when she does... how are you going to tell her what we've done? She's sacrificed so much... and we've betrayed her." And then he at last let out the boiling rage he had held in for the three weeks since Phoebe had first told him Hermione was alive.

"No, she betrayed me!" He roared, jerking away from her. "She left without saying a word; she made us believe she was dead!"

"She had to do that, Harry," Phoebe said quietly. "She didn't have a choice."

"She told Catherine!" Harry shouted. "She managed to let Catherine know! She could have told me too!"

"Yes, I suspect she could have," Phoebe admitted. "The fact is, she didn't. We can't change that. What we can do, however, is wait for her to return. Then we'll have to tell her the truth. You have a great thing with Hermione. Don't screw that up."

"I've already screwed it up, Phoebe. I already have. She'll never forgive us. I'll be surprised if she'll even speak to me once I tell her. If... if we're putting a stop to this... is there really a reason to tell her anything?"

"Could you live with yourself if you didn't?" Phoebe asked.

"No," Harry said with a sigh. "I suppose not."

-.-

"What are you doing?" Voldemort asked as he entered the tower where Hermione had been staying and found her gazing out of the open window.

"Just thinking..." she replied, not turning to look at him.

"About what?"

"Do you really even care?"

"Of course I do. You should stop thinking that I am your enemy."

"Of course I should. I suppose I should also forget that you kidnapped me, tortured me, and had me raped by every Death Eater in your... should I call it an organization?"

"I prefer Dark Society of Evil Doers,"

"Of course you do…" Hermione said dryly.

"You seem stressed, my dear."

"Did it ever occur to you that I am?"

"No..."

"Why do I even talk to you?"

"Because I am the only living being here who doesn't want to fuck you," said Voldemort with a grin.

"Oh, you aren't interested?" asked Hermione in a convincing disappointed voice. "I'm hurt." Voldemort chuckled darkly.

"Well, at least the only one who doesn't try on a regular basis," he added.

"Just leave me alone." Hermione muttered, still keeping her back to him.

"I understand what you're giving up. Your family means a lot to you. I know the pain of losing them is killing you, but you must move on. They know you've betrayed them."

"I'm doing my best, believe me, I am. It's just... much harder than I thought it would be. But I can handle it. Now, I'm guessing you didn't drop by just to check up on me…?"

"No," said Voldemort delicately. "No, I wished to discuss my impending assault upon Hogwarts School."

"Hogwarts is a fortress," said Hermione firmly. "Dumbledore has put dozens of defensive enchantments over the castle and undoubtedly many more since my betrayal was discovered. Hogwarts Castle will not fall easily."

"I never suspected it would. That is way I have not attempted to stage a complete takeover of the school in many years," said Voldemort. "But my army is vast, the largest ever assembled! I've collected an arsenal of weapons and creatures and prepared them to assault their last bastion. We will defeat them."

"You're too overconfident," Hermione warned. "You've got them cornered, there's no doubt. But a cornered animal will fight to the death to survive. Hogwarts…"

"Will fall," said Voldemort with a note of finality in his voice. "In one week. Hogwarts will kneel before me. There is no question. I will succeed." Voldemort walked away. Hermione, still gazing out at the blood red sunset, wasn't sure whether to smile or cry. She had the information she had come for, she could get it to the Order... but in her heart she was terrified that it would do them no good. She felt certain that they were doomed.

-.-

"I'm glad you've all made it here," said Dumbledore as took his seat behind his desk and motioned for the others to do the same. "We have much to discuss."

"Your letter indicated a matter of extreme urgency," said Harry as he and the others sank into armchairs.

"Indeed, it did," said Dumbledore gravely. "I've recieved confirmation that Voldemort plans to launch a massive assault against the school within the week. By Saturday, this war will be over... one way... or the other."

"You mean we only have six days to prepare the castle for a battle?" Luna asked incredulously. "_How _are we supposed to do that?"

"Myself and other members of the Order have begun developing a battle strategy," said Dumbledore.

"We'll need more than a strategy!" Catherine exclaimed. "If we're going to hold Hogwarts, we'll need reinforcements! Weapons! Potions, I... We'll need a miracle."

"Yes... yes, we will," said Phoebe quietly, glancing at Harry. "We'll need the Power of Three."

"That... won't be possible," said Dumbledore quickly.

"We know Hermione's alive," said Harry sharply.

"Mum told me before she left," Catherine explained. "Phoebe... nagged it out of me... and then blabbed to Dad,"

"Thanks, Kat," Phoebe muttered. "The point is, Professor, we need her back. She's already brought us the information you needed, so... let's go get her." Dumbledore studied them all seriously for several minutes before speaking.

"Go,"

-.-

"Well?" Harry asked from where he crouched in the shadows of a tree line.

"Nothing," Catherine hissed back. "There's no way to get close enough to that thing without drawing attention, but Dumbledore swore she'd received the message stating the time of our attack."

"Then we'll just have to assume she's been able to prepare," Harry whispered.

"It's not as though we won't know..." Catherine said with a knowing smile.

"Alright, let's move!" Harry called to the rest of the group. Like ghosts, the small team darted forward. Instantly, spells rained down upon them from a structure which towered over the nearby trees. The attack against Voldemort's main prison facility had been planned and executed in under two days. Because of this, Harry was concerned with the possible failure of the strike. Fortunately, that only needed to show themselves for a few seconds. Hermione would take care of the rest. And take care of it, she did. Fifty meters ahead of them, explosions rocked the structure. Fire plumed into the sky, causing a thick, black cloud to form in the blood red sky.

While the explosions had certainly distracted the Death Eaters and given the rescue team a chance, it had been very difficult for Hermione to place her high explosive potions without being spotted... and spotted she had certainly been considering she was now staring down the tip of Voldemort's wand. Neither of them spoke a single word. The Dark Lord simply sent a jet of green light streaking through the room. It struck her in the chest and she collapsed to the floor. Voldemort sighed.

"So beautiful, and yet... so foolish." Voldemort turned and swept from the room. When the door closed, Hermione's eyes snapped open and she leapt to her feet. She smiled down at the small potion vial clutched in her hand. She muttered a quiet thanks to Catherine for her assistance with the potion to protect against the Unforgivable curses and darted to the window. Right on cue, Harry's Firebolt appeared there with it's owner astride it.

None of them ever knew how they managed to survive that night, nor how they made their escape But by the time they arrived at Hogwarts, they realized that Voldemort wasn't invincible. He _could_ be beaten.

-.-

"You told them, didn't you?" Hermione demanded of Catherine as they and the others gathered in the manor's kitchen.

"No, no, no... I told Phoebe!" Catherine explained, pointing at the middle Halliwell. "_She _blabbed it to everyone else!"

"To be perfectly honest, if you didn't want anyone to know, why did you tell the person with the biggest mouth on Earth?" asked Ron. "Well, except for Phoebe, that is."

"What is this, pick on Phoebe day?" Phoebe demanded furiously.

"No, it's blame Phoebe for telling everyone a secret day!" Catherine joked, giving Phoebe a warm smile which the middle Halliwell sister happily returned.

"Look, I know everyone wants to have a party because I've supposedly returned from the dead," Hermione said seriously. "But we've got some problems as I understand it."

"Oh, Mione... let's worry about that tomorrow!" Harry said, taking a long swig of butterbeer. Hermione rolled her eyes, but said nothing. While on the outside, Hermione seemed perfectly happy, on the inside, her heart was breaking... and Catherine knew it. Unfortunately for Catherine, the others demanded a celebration which ended up lasting well into the night. When Hermione finally decided to retire to bed, Catherine hurried after her and caught up halfway up the staircase.

"You can tell me, you know?" Catherine said, stopping her mother at the top of the staircase.

"Tell you... what, exactly?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Don't play dumb with me, Mum. I'm an Empath. I know you're hurting, I just don't know why."

"It's nothing I feel like talking about at the moment, Kat."

"Having felt what you feel, believe me, you _need_ to talk about it."

"You'll find out, Kat. There's no need for both of us to be miserable.

"If you're miserable, I'm miserable. Please? Maybe I can help!"

"You can't help, sweetie, but thanks for being so concerned."

"Tell me in the morning?" Catherine pressed. Hermione smiled and relented to her daughter.

"Okay, I'll tell you in the morning. Now, go to bed. I've got a feeling we're all going to need as much rest as possible.

-.-

Tuesday morning dawned bright and hot in San Francisco. The occupants of 1329 Prescott Street busied themselves with breakfast, all of them except for Harry and Hermione. Harry had spent the night laying awake, debating whether or not to tell Hermione about his affair with Phoebe. By morning, he knew he had no choice. He found it impossible to look her in the face, to touch her, to even get near her without feeling as though he were lying to her.

Entering their bedroom quietly, Harry watched Hermione lying on the bed, scribbling away on a long roll of parchment. Harry knew she would like to be resting, but that was Hermione for you. Work until you couldn't anymore, then the keep on working. He sighed as he watched her push a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. As his eyes trailed along her slender form, he couldn't help but smile. With a determined look on his face, Harry walked forward and cleared his throat.

"Hermione, there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay, go ahead." Hermione said, laying her quill down and looking up at Harry expectantly.

"Well... okay... I've struggled with whether or not to tell you this. It's going to hurt you, but it's better that I tell you than you finding out some other way."

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Hermione asked, intrigued. Harry took a deep breath.

"While you were gone... Phoebe and I... we... slept together." Hermione studied him carefully for a full minute, leaving Harry standing there looking incredibly foolish, before she dropped a bombshell of her own.

"I know."

"Mione, you have to believe me, I... wait... what? You know? How?"

"Phoebe told me." she said simply.

"O... oh. Well, okay then..." Harry stammered. This wasn't at all going the way he'd planned. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I was hoping that you would actually come forward. I hoped you would be honest with me. I must say, I'm proud of you. I wasn't entirely sure you would." Harry was confused. Hermione was taking this far better than Harry had anticipated. He thought she would scream or throw things it him... Or at least blow him up.

"Aren't you... upset or angry or... something?" Harry inquired. Hermione hesitated a moment before answering.

"No, Harry. I'm not angry." Hermione said in the saddest voice Harry had ever heard from her. "I'm disappointed. I thought I meant more to you than that. I guess I was wrong." This statement hurt him far more than it would have if she had hit him. The sadness and pain in her voice felt like a dagger to his heart.

"Mione, I'm..."

"Don't say it, Harry." Hermione warned, slipping out of bed and glaring at him. "Don't you _dare_ tell me that you're sorry because I don't want to hear it. I don't care if you're sorry, I don't care if you regret it... I just want to know why." Harry sighed.

"Mione, I... You know what? I was about to lie to you, but I'm not going to do that. Honestly, I was angry with you. You left without telling me what you were doing, but you managed to tell Catherine... but not me. I thought you were dead! And when I found out you weren't... I just... I was furious. I didn't do it to hurt you, Mione. I did it... I did it because I didn't know if I would ever see you again. I was so angry, I just... I needed to do _something._" Hermione said nothing.

"Please, Mione. Just say something."

"What do you want me to say, Harry?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I... I don't know... something, anything."

"I honestly have no idea what it is you want from me, Harry."

"Is forgiveness too much to ask?" Harry asked her.

"At the moment? Yes."

"I can understand that," Harry admitted. He found he couldn't meet her gaze. "So... where do we go from here?"

Hermione walked to the bedroom window. Her eyes scanned the scene before her, though she wasn't truly seeing any of it. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned back to Harry.

"I don't know, Harry. I just don't know. I... I think I might need some space."

"What are you saying? Are you leaving me?" Hermione shook her head.

"No," she replied in a calm voice. "No, Harry, I'm not. I just need... some time... to sort through all this." Harry moved forward, reached out and took Hermione's hand.

"Do the others know?" Hermione asked, looking up at him.

"No... Phoebe thought I should talk with you first." Hermione nodded.

"Well, now you get to go and tell them." Hermione said, a tiny smile flickering on her lips. It seemed a bit of public humiliation was exactly what Harry deserved.

"Yeah, I suppose I do." Harry turned to leave the room, but Hermione called him back.

"Did you love her?" she asked quietly.

"How can you even ask that, Mione?"

"Harry, right now I wouldn't put anything past you. Did you love her?"

"No, Mione. I didn't love her." He couldn't tell by the expression on her face whether she believed him or not because she simply nodded and followed Harry down to the kitchen.

-.-

Luna looked as though she could shoot laser beams out of her eyes. Ron glared at Harry as though he'd punched him. Ginny had broken the glass she'd been holding, and seemed to want to reach for her wand. Piper and Paige had rounded on Phoebe, their eyes blazing. Catherine sobbed into her mother's shoulder, while Hermione herself watched Harry through sad, tired eyes.

"How could you?" Ginny screamed, throwing what remained of the shattered glass at him.

"What you've done is as bad as anything Voldemort could do!" Luna shouted, her eyes narrowed. Hermione pulled away from her daughter and moved to Harry's side.

"Alright, that's enough." Hermione told them firmly. "We're not going to string him up."

"Hermione, I'm surprised at you." Ron said. "You don't even seem angry."

"Because I'm not. Look, what they did was wrong. I don't like it any more than the rest of you do. And, despite the part of me screaming to cause him pain beyond imagining, I still love him." Hermione eyes flickered over to Phoebe. "Both of them. So, as for the rest of you, don't give them any problems. They made a mistake and they've apologized. It's enough for me, why isn't it for you?" Hermione turned and left the room without another word. Phoebe leapt to her feet and followed her. Hermione had made it to the foot of the stairs before Phoebe caught up.

"Hermione..." Phoebe began, but Hermione cut her off by turning toward her and holding up one finger in warning.

"Phoebe, don't." she said, her hand visibly shaking. "You _do not _want to do this right now."

"But, I wanted to..."

"To be honest, I don't give a _damn_ what you want. The world is falling apart, and this time... I don't know if we can stop it. When this is over... we'll talk… all three of us. Until then, let's just focus on what we need to do." Phoebe sighed sadly.

"O... ok, I guess." Phoebe turned around and walked back toward the kitchen, her head low. Hermione hesitated for a moment, having never seen anyone look quite as miserable as Phoebe did then. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, she felt a sudden wave of terrible pain and sadness that she knew wasn't her own, and yet she had experienced it as though it were.

"Wait," Hermione called after Phoebe, unable to let the woman walk away feeling so terrible and couldn't help but shake the feeling that that wave of sadness had been Phoebe's own emotions manifested inside herself... even though she knew she wasn't an Empath. "Look... I don't blame you, Phoebe. Harry truly is a wonderful man and I... I'm forced to ask myself that if our positions had been reversed, if I really cared for him, what would I have done? And, honestly, I'm not entirely certain the outcome would have been much different."

"What _would_ you have done differently?" Phoebe asked, wiping a stray tear from her eye and looking up at Hermione, who stared straight back at her.

"I would have fought like hell for him, Pheebs." she said firmly. Phoebe nodded turned to leave, looking slightly happier than she had a moment before. Hermione watched her go with a small smile on her face before continuing on up the stairs to her bedroom.

-.-

Harry quietly opened his bedroom door an hour later, expecting Hermione to already be asleep. Instead, she lay in bed, a book propped open on her chest. Without speaking, Harry grabbed a pillow and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, lowering the book and gazing up inquisitively at him. Harry stopped and turned to face her.

"Err... well... I figured I'd be sleeping on the couch for at least a month." With a start, Harry noticed Hermione was smiling. She pulled back the covers, scooted over, and patted the bed beside her.

"C'mon, you don't have to sleep on the couch."

"Really?" Hermione grinned.

"Yes, really," Harry smiled and climbed into bed. He cautiously took her hand, not knowing how she would react. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, and moved closer to her. Hermione tilted her head so that it rested on Harry's shoulder.

"Why are you being so calm about this, Mione?" Harry asked after a while. Hermione hesitated a moment before answering.

"Harry, if there is one thing I've learned from Voldemort, it's that life is far too short to spend being mad at someone else. I can't justify fighting with the man I love, because one of us may not be here tomorrow. We should spend the time that we have together. Circumstances tear us apart at times, but... When Phoebe told me what you'd done, I... I died inside. I felt like... I was _furious_.

"By the time you told me, I had had time to cool off a bit. I understood that you wanted to give this another go, and so did I. I gave you a second chance, because… because I can't imagine life without you."

"I thought you told me you needed space." Harry said, eyeing her curiously. Hermione nodded.

"I thought I did," Hermione admitted. "But I discovered that I really didn't. All I need from you, Harry, is a promise."

"Anything,"

"Don't do it again. Please, I... I don't think I could survive it again." Harry pulled her closer to him.

"I won't, believe me, I won't. The though of losing..." Harry glanced down at her to find her already fast asleep. With a smile on his face, Harry wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.


	21. The Fall of Hogwarts

-.-

**Chapter 21**

**The Fall of Hogwarts**

-.-

Harry awoke very early the following morning, even before the California sun began to creep over the horizon. Leaving Hermione to rest, Harry made his way to the attic, his mind full of ideas and plans for the coming assault on Hogwarts. Even though no one wanted to admit it, they all knew that if they lost the school, the war was over. Catherine was already in the attic when Harry arrived. She sat on the sofa, flipping through the Book of Shadows.

"What are you doing up here so early?" Harry asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Catherine muttered stiffly. It was clear that Catherine was still angry, and Harry didn't blame her.

"Okay, look... I know you're still mad, but..."

"Damn right, I'm mad!" Catherine exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "What were you thinking? Obviously not about Mum, or me, or anyone else but yourself!"

"Catherine..."

"You have no idea what she felt when she found out what you'd done, do you? I felt her heart break... I felt her world fall apart around her, and she had no idea what to do! I've never felt so many different emotions from one person in my life! You had to know how bad it would hurt her when she found out, but you didn't care! All you were concerned about is what made _you_ happy!"

"Kat, that... that's not... you know, you're right. It's true. I didn't care, but I do now. Your mother is trying to get passed this, couldn't you try too?"

"Mum's hurting far more than she's letting on," Catherine told him, sadly.

"I know... and I want to help her, but... I honestly don't know how. Not to mention, now really isn't the time. This is something we'll have to deal with after all this is over. Let's put it aside for now and focus on the task at hand."

"Fine," Was all Catherine said. Harry sighed.

"So, what do we have?"

"Well," Catherine began. "I figure Voldemort'll launch his attack with everything he has. Reports say his army is at least two thousand strong... and that's only the Death Eaters. He has Werewolves, Dementors, Giants, Acromantulas, Chimaeras… and a number of Inferi."

"Is that all?" Harry asked, sarcastically.

"Well, I certainly hope so. Fortunately, the magical community has risen to the challenge. Elves, Nymphs, Trolls, Fairies, just about every force of good in the world is rallying at Hogwarts. The Order managed to get Griffons, Hippogriffs, Erumpents and even a large group of dragons. Even so, Voldemort outnumbers us ten to one.

"Dumbledore's constructing a massive wall around the castle, but even if it's completed by the time Voldemort attacks, it won't take him long to get through it, and the inner wall can't stand up to the onslaught Voldemort will unleash. We need to gain an advantage before his forces breach the outer wall, but if we haven't done it before he reaches the inner wall... it'll be over. To be honest, it's not looking good."

"It's never looked good, Kat," Harry said consolingly. "All we can do is hope for the best."

"And when that doesn't work?" Catherine asked grimly. Harry just shrugged.

"We fight them until we don't have any fight left in us."

-.-

Night was falling on the day before Voldemort would launch his attack. The outer wall had been completed the day before, and the inner wall had been heavily reinforced. Hermione stood atop a tall tower situated on the inner wall. The tower was tall enough to overlook the entire field of battle. Catherine appeared at her side. She appeared to be deep in thought.

"Can't sleep?" Hermione asked without taking her eyes off of the school grounds.

"No." Catherine said simply.

"Pre-fight jitters, I suppose." Hermione replied

"Yeah... I guess." Catherine muttered. They stood in silence for several minutes, neither speaking until Catherine asked, "So, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that unless we get a miracle tomorrow... we won't stand a chance." Hermione reached into her pocket and retrieved a small potion bottle. "This is a power enhancing potion," Hermione explained, looking as though she wished for nothing else than to be doing anything other than what she was right then. "I know you've learned to control that shield of yours, with this; you may be able to shield the entire castle with it. Unfortunately, it won't last long, and you'll be drained, both physically and mentally. It's up to you whether or not you use it. Dumbledore said to give you the choice."

"I don't need a choice; I already know what I have to do." Hermione pressed the bottle into Catherine's hand. The look on her face indicated she wished Catherine had refused.

"You should try to go to sleep," Hermione said softly. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess I should try." Catherine turned and walked toward the door. "Night, Mum," She called over her shoulder.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Hermione said, leaning against the cold railing.

-.-

"Mione? Mione, wake up." Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she glanced up at the figure who had awoken her.

"Harry? What are you doing?"

"You fell asleep up here, sweetheart." Harry whispered, gesturing off the side of the tower.

"Oh, yeah…" she replied blearily, rubbing her eyes. "I suppose I did. What time is it?"

"It's still early, Mione. About three in the morning, I'd say. I've been looking for you for an hour."

"I'm sorry, Harry... I..."

"I don't need an explanation." Harry said with a smile. He carefully lifted her into his arms and orbed them to the room they'd been living out of until they could return to the manor. Harry carefully laid her down on the bed and smiled when he noticed she had already fallen asleep again. He gently stroked her hair.

"It'll be over tomorrow, Mione." Harry whispered. "Voldemort will be gone for good." Harry laid down beside her and sighed. If only he could believe it would end so well.

-.-

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked of her daughter six hours later as she and Catherine entered the Astronomy Tower.

"As I'll ever be…" Catherine muttered before downing the contents of the bottle Hermione had given her the previous night.

"How long does this stuff last, anyway?" she asked.

"Two hours. After that, the shield will go down and our only hope is gone." Catherine cast a glance out toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Voldemort's army waited.

"How long until Voldemort begins his advance?" Catherine inquired.

"No idea," Hermione replied. "Whenever he chooses, I suppose. Everyone needs to be ready so when he does attack, we're... Get down!" A massive ball of fire shot away from the edge of the forest, arced over the outer wall, and crashed into the base of the Astronomy Tower. The door behind them flew open and Harry, Ron Luna, Ginny and the Halliwell sisters raced through.

"It's time." Harry said solemnly. He glanced toward Piper, Phoebe and Paige. "Hermione, could you take them to Hogsmeade?"

"What?" Piper exclaimed furiously, while her sisters glared. "We want to help! We can't just leave!"

"You can, and you will," said Hermione. "You don't have any powers, but that won't make Voldemort any less inclined to kill you. You've done all you can for us." The sisters nodded, clearly unhappy. Hermione took their hands in hers and they vanished in sparkling blue-white light.

"Alright then, Kat," said Harry. "Go for it." Slowly, Catherine raised her hands. A massive purple-blue shield erupted from her palms, expanding out to cover the entire castle. Sweat immediately began to stream down her face, and she whimpered as though a terrible pain were sweeping her body.

"Kat..."

"Go!" She shouted. Harry grabbed the other's hands and they too orbed out. "And hurry..." she whispered to no one.

-.-

And so it began. Two massive armies, one greatly outnumbering the other, met on the field of battle. The shield kept both spells and people from reaching the castle, but Catherine was unable to keep the shield up for long. After her return from Hogsmeade, Hermione stayed in the tower with her daughter to keep an eye on her.

"Mum... I... I can't do... it anymore." Catherine was struggling just to speak.

"It's okay." Hermione said warmly. "You've bought us some time, let's hope it was enough. Look, I'm going down there to help. Stay here and rest sweetie… I'll be back." Hermione orbed out, leaving Catherine to watch as Voldemort's army advanced passed the Outer Wall, and listen to the screams of the dying.

After the loss of the shield, the outer wall fell quickly. That was when the battle began in earnest. Dragons soared through the sky, burning long trails into the earth and leaving behind the smoking carcasses of those unlucky enough to get in their way. Catapults fired flaming balls into the sky, which crashed upon the inner wall, blasting large sections of Hogwarts' last line of defense into dust. It was then that everyone knew the battle was over. Voldemort had claimed the castle.

"Move, move now!" A jet of green light shot through the air. Ginny managed to duck just in time. She looked up desperately at Harry.

"Harry, it's over!" she exclaimed. "We've got to go! Now!"

"No!" Harry shouted as a dragon shot overhead, blasts of fire leaping from its mouth. A Dementor soared down from the sky and grabbed Ginny. Before Harry could even think about casting a spell, the Dementor had already performed its deadly Kiss. The Forbidden Forest began to burn from all the fire until it became a blazing inferno.

Hermione and Luna had their backs pressed together, fighting off hundreds of enemies that charged toward them from every direction. Both of them grew numb from the constant killing. Luna screamed as a jet of green light caught her in the side. She fell, dead, to the ground. At that moment, all the Death Eaters stopped attacking. They stood, unmoving, in the shadows.

Around them, the Forest burned. Hogwarts was a shattered wreck; even the Great Hall had collapsed in on itself. The ground was drenched in the blood of those that had fallen. The screams of the dying filled Hermione's ears, and the stench of death made her feel sick. Battles continued to rage everywhere. Spells streaked through the night, fire and energy balls incinerated everything they hit.

A tall Death Eater stepped forward and raised his wand. Hermione simply watched him. Just as he prepared to cast the deadly curse, a scream split the night. A herd of centaurs charged onto the scene, peppering the Death Eaters with arrows. A swirling blue-white light filled the area and Catherine appeared. She and Hermione ducked behind a tree.

"Dumbledore's gone, Mum. He was in the Great Hall when it collapsed. There's no way he could have escaped."

"Then it truly is over..." Hermione whispered.

"Hermione!" Harry darted toward them from across the grounds, blasting a Death Eater off his feet as he went. He huddled with them behind the tree.

"Harry, Dumbledore's..." Hermione began.

"I already know, Ron told me. I'm calling a full retreat. You're going to Beauxbatons."

"What do you mean, 'you're going'?" Catherine asked.

"I'm going after Voldemort. If things go well, I'll meet you there later. If not... well..."

"You can't..."

"I have to!" Harry shouted. "Go, now." Catherine gave him a furious glare, and orbed away. Hermione hesitated.

"I'm staying with you." Hermione told him.

"No..."

"C'mon, we're wasting time, let's..." Hermione froze mid-sentence. There, barely ten feet from them, stood Lord Voldemort idly twirling his wand between his long, slender fingers.

"Well, well, well..." Voldemort said, his eyes burning with hatred. "All this time... all this death... simply for this moment. I must say, in a way, I'm disappointed. I hadn't thought it would be this easy."

"It's not going to be." Harry growled.

"Don't be so sure." Voldemort said with an evil smile. In a flash, the Dark Lord vanished, and reappeared behind Hermione. He placed the tip of his wand against her neck.

"I underestimated you, Ms. Granger. The use of that potion to survive my curse was very impressive."

"It won't be the last mistake you make." Hermione muttered. Voldemort didn't reply and instead glared at Harry.

"One false move, Potter, and she's dead. And this time, I guarantee you, it will _stick_."

"You don't want her," Harry said resolutely, as though simply stating it made it the truth. You want me. So, just... just let her go, and... and you can take me and the school." Voldemort laughed.

"Oh, I'm going to do that anyway. Why not remove a thorn in my side as I go?" With incredible strength, Voldemort shoved Hermione away. She stumbled forward and found herself standing roughly halfway between Voldemort and Harry. She looked up at Harry, who was staring at her with terror in his eyes.

She felt it rather than heard it, the sudden rush of wind erupting behind her. Then she felt a gentle, warm tingling on her back and she lost all feeling whatsoever. It was strange, she thought. She would have imagined that it should have hurt, dying. But this… this was practically peaceful. She never knew that she collapsed to the ground, never heard the enraged scream from Harry as she fell… in fact, she knew nothing else at all.

Voldemort turned and disappeared as Harry's world froze. The battles still going on around him no longer mattered. The fires which blazed at unbelievable temperatures made no difference. Harry fell at Hermione's side. He placed his hands over her to heal her, but knew it was already far too late. Harry gently cupped her cheek, which was still warm, and kissed her.

"I'm sorry, Mione... I'm so, so sorry." Harry slowly stood, wiping the tears from his eyes. A soft hand gripped his arm and he looked up. Catherine stood there, tears running down her face.

"Catherine… Kat, how…?"

"I don't know, I don't care," she whispered. She cast a glance at her mother's body. "I know what you want to do... and believe me, so do I. It won't bring her back, nothing will. We need to go... Rally what's left of the Order and try to do something... anything. Don't get yourself killed because you want revenge." Harry nodded and together, they orbed away.

What remained of the broken Order fled in every possible way they could. Those that couldn't flee were cut down by Voldemort's unrelenting assault. By midnight, Voldemort's flag flew over what had once been thought the most secure structure on Earth.

-.-

Harry and Ron sat in the living room of the manor. Ron stared blankly into the fire which flickered in the fireplace. Harry sipped at a cup of coffee. It had already gone cold, but Harry didn't care. Catherine appeared in front of them with Piper and Phoebe.

"Where's Paige?" Harry asked, coming out of his grief-induced trance. Piper bowed her head and Phoebe burst into tears and sank into an empty chair.

"Voldemort launched a simultaneous attack on Hogsmeade," Catherine told him quietly "Paige... didn't make it."

"Oh, God..." Harry said. "I'm sorry."

"What do we do now?" Piper asked, trying to turn the conversation away from Paige. Harry shook his head.

"Nothing,"

"Nothing?" Piper asked. "How can we not do something?"

"There's nothing we can do, Piper!" Harry shouted. "It's over... Voldemort controls the school. Hermione, Paige, Luna, Ginny, Dumbledore... they're all dead. If we couldn't stop Voldemort with the entire magical community backing us, what do you think _we_ can do?"

"I... I don't know." Piper said sadly, looking around at the others. "I just..."

"I know..." Harry said. "It's not right... it... it's not fair, but... they're gone, and there's nothing we can do. Come on, it's not safe for us here. I know a place we can go to hide. Voldemort won't come looking for us there." Harry reached out and took Piper and Phoebe's hands. Catherine took Ron's and lifted the Book of Shadows into her arms. Without a second glance, the small group orbed out of the manor and didn't look back.


	22. A Second Chance

-.-

**Chapter 22**

**A Second Chance**

-.-

"_Harry? Harry? Harry, wake up._" Harry's eyes fluttered open. A gentle hand gripped his shoulder and helped him sit up. Harry looked blearily up at the figure standing before him and gasped.

"Hermione..." Harry's eyes roamed across her form. She was wrapped in white cloth that seemed to glow slightly and billowed as though in a strong wind. At times her long golden brown hair seemed to be blown by a light wind, although no wind was present. At other times, it simply fell passed her bare shoulders. Her eyes, which had once sparkled happily, were dark and rather sad. She wore a silver cross on a chain around her neck. Several jewels were encrusted upon the cross which sparkled in a light that didn't exist.

"_Yes, Harry, it's me."_

"But... Mione, that's not possible.. I... I saw you die!"

"_Ah, yes... that... Minor setback… _She said with an almost bored shrug.Harry looked around. They seemed to be floating in a cloud-filled sky.

"Where are we?" he asked.

_"This is Limbo." _Hermione told him. _"It's a place that those who have died, prepare to move on into the Afterlife." _Harry found that he couldn't look her in the eye.

"Mione, I... I'm so sorry. I tried to protect you, but... I failed. I... lost you, and now... I don't even know where to start to pick up the pieces."

_"Harry, it wasn't your fault. I stood at your side because I loved you, not because you asked me to. I wanted to be there. I wouldn't have had it any other way." _Harry nodded sadly.

"So, how am I here? Am I dead?" Hermione laughed.

_"No, you're not dead… not yet. I brought you here to speak with you. There is not much time. The war is over and you've lost. Fortunately, not all hope is lost. Several critical mistakes were made in the defense of Hogwarts. You must go back in time and change them. First, Catherine's power, even enhanced by the potion, is not strong enough to keep the shield up. Don't even try it. Secondly, the headquarters of the Order should be moved to the dungeons. The Great Hall is far too prominent to house such an important thing. The rest... you must figure out for yourself. I'm not allowed to tell you more."_

"Will this fix everything?" Harry asked. "Will it make things right?" Hermione nodded.

"_Yes, it will._"

"So... so you won't have... you'll be... You'll still be alive?" Hermione's gaze dropped to the floor and she sighed.

_"That, unfortunately, is beyond any sort of change. Harry, I told you long ago that I did not believe I would survive this war. That has come to pass. It was my time. You cannot stop death, Harry. You can try, but you would fail. _

"_Listen to me, saving me is not possible, but stopping Voldemort and saving the world _is_. You will only get one chance to do this, Harry. If you fail, all is lost..." _Hermione whimpered as though in pain. _"My spirit is fading and I will not be able to come to you again. Remember what I've told you, and protect the future for our children." _Harry reached out and took her hand.

"Thank you." he whispered. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, and then drew away. A brilliantly white sparkling light surrounded Hermione. "Er... how do I get out of here?" He asked.

Hermione simply disappeared. Just before she did, Harry noticed a single tear run down her face. With a start, Harry awoke, drenched in a cold sweat.


	23. Just Getting Started

-.-

**Chapter 23**

**Just Getting Started**

-.-

"So... what spell are we going to use to do this?" Piper inquired, sitting down on the dusty floor of the Shrieking Shack, the Book of Shadows open in her lap.

"You mean what spell am _I_ using," Harry corrected her. "I'm going alone. As for the spell, I thought I would use the Revisit the Past spell you used at marriage counseling."

"Er... you might not want to do that." Piper advised.

"Yeah," Phoebe said sharply. "When she cast it, me and Paige got..." Phoebe froze at the mention of her sister's name. She stopped speaking and looked at her hands. Harry reached out and took her hand.

"We'll get her back, Phoebe, I promise." Phoebe nodded but did not speak.

"If you're determined to do this, then here's the spell," said Piper, holding out the Book to him.

"Good," Harry said, accepting the Book of Shadows from Piper and glancing down at the page she had opened it to.

"I'm serious, though, Harry," said Piper. "This spell… I'm not sure it's the best idea. There's got to be another way…"

"Wait!" Ron exclaimed, remembering something he'd read in the Book weeks before. "What about those Avatars? They can rewind time." Phoebe and Piper shook their heads.

"No way," Piper said. "They'd never help us. Not after all we did to stop them... but... well, I suppose it's worth a try."

-.-

Harry walked down into what would have been the kitchen had the house been occupied while Piper and Phoebe worked on a way to summon the Avatars. Catherine sat a small table she had apparently conjured, wiping her eyes with a napkin.

"Hey," Harry said softly. "Mind if I join you?" She shrugged. Harry conjured another chair and sat down across from her.

"I don't understand it," Harry said after a few minutes. "Hermione's dead… why are you still here?"

"Anomaly," Catherine grunted, not looking at him.

"I beg your pardon?" said Harry confusedly.

"I'm an anomaly," said Catherine. "A paradox... I can't be explained."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Harry. "The only reason any of this is happening the way it is, is because you came back in time... but you can't come back in time because you'll never be born... so that means none of what's happened can really have happened because you can't come back in time and make it happen... Did that make any sense?"

"No," said Catherine lightly. "Time paradoxes never do. Honestly, Dad, I don't even care. I'm here and we've got to figure out a plan to... to survive."

"Piper's trying to summon the Avatars," Harry explained. "We're going to try to and fix everything... I'm going to fix everything."

"It was a dream, Dad," said Catherine, waving him away. "You were asleep and you dreamed Mum came to you. Don't go doing something crazy because you think she visited you from beyond the grave with wonderful answers for all your problems."

"It's all I've got, Kat," Harry whispered. "I've got to trust that she really came to me. I've got to believe that there's a chance for this to work... there's nothing else we can do." Harry eased out of his chair and walked to the door. "And Kat... have a little faith, huh?" He left the room. Phoebe was waiting for him in the hallway.

"There's something else about Catherine's existence that might give you encouragement," she said in a whisper. "Maybe, somehow, you fix all of this. Maybe Hermione finds a way to come back to us and that's why Kat's still here... because one day she'll still be born."

"You're reaching, Phoebe," said Harry, turning and walked down the corridor to the room he had been sleeping in. He sat down on the sofa he had conjured. Phoebe sat down next to him. "Its not like last time we thought she was dead. No one's hiding it from us, Phoebe. I watched her die… She's gone and she isn't coming back."

"I don't believe that," Phoebe said so firmly that Harry stared.

"It doesn't matter whether or not you believe it," Harry replied. "Hell, I can hardly believe it myself… but she's dead. She's not coming back this time." Phoebe stared at him with her eyes narrowed, looking as though she were struggling with something, some internal battle.

"Harry…" she began at last. "Harry, there's… there's something I haven't told anyone. Not my sisters, not even Hermione." She took a deep breath. "There's some sort of… connection between me and Hermione. I… I don't understand it, I don't know why it exists… but it does. Hermione never mentioned it and neither did I, but we both knew it was there.

"Whenever we touch, there's this… feeling. I can't describe it, I can't… I can't turn it into words, but it's real. I felt her die, Harry. I knew she was dead before you ever told me. And just like that, I know that she'll be with us again one day. I don't know when and I don't know how, but she'll come back," Harry didn't say anything else for a long time. Silence fell between them until at last Harry spoke up.

"Right now… I can't even worry about it," he said slowly. "This fight, this war… that's all I can focus on. It's what she'd want… what Hermione would want. I can't even think about anything else. Your connection to her… I can't begin to explain that, or even understand it. I don't really want to. I just want to kill Voldemort. I'm not doing it for me, for revenge, or to save the world… I'm doing it for her." The bedroom door opened and Piper stuck her head in before Phoebe could reply.

"We're ready,"

-.-

"We don't have enough power to reverse time that far."

"And we certainly aren't helping _them_. Not after what they did." The plan had gone straight to hell the moment it had been put into action. They'd summoned both the Avatars and the Elders, hoping that together they would have enough power to reverse time. Unfortunately, it hadn't gone a smoothly as they had hoped.

"If Voldemort takes over then you're not getting your precious Utopia, and you…" Harry said, glaring at the three Elders. "Are just plain screwed. So, if you two don't want to work together, then that is just _fine_. But know that whatever happens to us, affects you as well. Voldemort's reign won't be kind to either of you." The Elders and Avatars just glared at each other.

"The Charmed Ones have done a lot for you," Piper told the Elders more angrily than she usually would have. "You owe us… you owe _them_. So, unless you'd all like to sit back and watch the world go straight to hell, you'll help us." Slowly, so slowly in fact that it seemed like an eternity had passed, both Elders and Avatars alike nodded their agreement.

-.-

Harry felt sick. He sighed as the world finally stopped spinning and he came to a halt in a seat in Dumbledore's office. Judging by the fact that entirety of the Order of the Phoenix was present in the office; this was the meeting where they had planned the defense of Hogwarts. This was where he needed to be.

"Are you certain?" Dumbledore asked. Harry looked around, wondering who the headmaster was speaking to. When he noticed everyone was looking at him, he turned to Dumbledore.

"Er... what?" Harry asked, trying to remember what he might have said at this point in the meeting.

"You said that we should move the headquarters to the dungeons instead of the Great Hall," said Dumbledore, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Er... yes, the Great Hall is too prominent to house the Order's headquarters. It should be in the dungeons. It's the only part of the castle that can't be destroyed from the outside."

"Very well, Harry." Dumbledore said. "The dungeons it is. Now, Ms. Granger has told me that she has created a potion that will enhance Catherine's power to allow her to use her shield to protect the castle for a short time. So, I've..."

"It won't work," Harry interrupted. "Voldemort will know we've got a limited timeframe and will wait until the shield drops to attack. We need to attack him before he attacks us. His forces are larger than ours. He'll easily overwhelm a static position. Our only hope is to stop him before his army gets to the school."

"Preemptive strikes?" Catherine inquired. "I like it."

"So be it," said Dumbledore. "Harry, I'll leave it to you to assemble a team to attack Voldemort's forces before he advances on the castle. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so I advise you all get some sleep."

-.-

"Can we go over the plan again?" Ginny whispered from where she sat with her back against the base of a tree.

"Gin, we've been over this damned plan five times already," Harry hissed back. "It's the same plan we went over twelve hours ago, it's the same one we went over when you asked me ten minutes ago. So, ten minutes from _now,_ when you ask me, 'Can we go over the plan again?', my answer will be: 'It's the same _goddamned_ plan it's always been!'

"Dad's just a bit jumpy." Catherine said apologetically, smiling warmly at Ginny and tossing an angry glare at her father.

"Ah, it's okay," said Ginny dismissively. "Harry gets jumpy and I repeat myself. We all have different ways of facing imminent death."

"Okay," Harry said, putting an end to the conversation. "We're not going to have much time once this starts, so let's stay focused." Hermione came jogging through the tress at that moment.

"Well?" Harry asked her as she stumbled to a stop next to him, clutching a stitch in her side.

"Got 'em!" she said. "They're rigged to blow in two minutes. Those potions will cause one hell of an explosion but it won't take long for them to regroup. We'll have to move fast. I figure we'll have about sixty seconds." Harry nodded.

"Then that means we've actually got fifty seconds," said Harry darkly. "Let's move."

Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Catherine darted forward, hugging the edge of the forest. Harry kept his eyes fixed to his watch. Fifteen seconds. Ten seconds. Five seconds. Three, two, one… A shockwave rippled across the ground. Ten black plumes of smoke filled the sky. Fire leapt onto the trees, setting the forest ablaze. Death Eaters who had been near the blasts had been instantly vaporized. Many others who hadn't been that close, but still in range were caught in blazing fires.

Ahead, Harry spotted their primary target: ten powerful catapults that could rain devastating fireballs down upon the castle. They had to be destroyed. During the distraction caused by the surprise attack, Ron shot overhead on a broomstick, dropping the same potions that Hermione had concocted during her escape from Voldemort's prison on the catapults.

Blasts of fire covered the weapons as they were destroyed. By this point, Voldemort's camp was ablaze. Giants became confused and began attacking their own allies. Dementors lost all control, attacking anyone they could see. Voldemort attempted to regroup and counterattack, but by the time he could restore any sort of order, Harry and the others were already gone.

-.-

Despite the losses incurred the previous night, Voldemort still launched his attack upon the school. His forces, while still outnumbering the Order two to one, had been significantly weakened. Even so, the castle took a tremendous beating in the early stages of the conflict and although the defenders of Hogwarts were standing firm, their lines were beginning to crack.

"Move, move now!" A jet of green light shot through the air. Ginny managed to duck just in time. She looked up at Harry who had warned her of the deadly curse.

"Harry, we've got to fall back to the school!" she shouted furiously. We'll never hold them here!"

"No!" Harry shouted as a dragon shot overhead, blasts of fire leaping from its mouth. A Dementor soared down from the sky and grabbed Ginny. Harry raised his wand to conjure a Patronus. A shimmering silver stag burst from the end of his wand and chased the Dementor across the grounds. Harry helped Ginny to her feet.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, clutching her chest. "I could've died."

'You have no idea...' Harry thought grimly as the Forbidden Forest began to burn from all the dragons' fire and missed spells sparking off of trees until it became a blazing inferno.

Hermione and Luna had their backs pressed together, fighting off hundreds of enemies that charged toward them from every direction. Both of them grew numb from the constant killing. Luna ducked as a jet of green light shot toward her. At that moment, all the Death Eaters stopped attacking. They stood, unmoving, in the shadows.

Around them, the Forest burned. Hogwarts was a shattered wreck, even the Great Hall had collapsed in on itself. The ground was drenched in the blood of those that had fallen. The screams of the dying filled Hermione's ears, and the stench of death made her feel sick. Battles continued to rage everywhere. Spells streaked through the night, fire and energy balls incinerated everything they hit.

A tall Death Eater stepped forward and raised his wand. Hermione and Luna simply watched him. Just as he prepared to cast the deadly curse, a scream split the night. A herd of centaurs charged onto the scene, peppering the Death Eaters with arrows. A swirling blue-white light filled the area and Catherine appeared. She, Hermione and Luna ducked behind a tree.

"I was just up at the school. Dumbledore's ordered a full retreat into the castle. He thinks might be able to hold it from the inside."

Harry and Ginny darted toward them from across the grounds, blasting a Death Eater off his feet as they went. They huddled with Hermione, Luna and Catherine behind the tree.

"Harry, Dumbledore's..." Hermione began but Harry cut her off.

"I know, Ron's already told me," he said. "Do as he says and get back to the castle. Just hold it long enough for me to go after Voldemort."

"You can't..."

"I have to!" Harry shouted. "We'll never hold them back as long as they know Voldemort's leading them. Cut off the head of the snake, Mione. It's our only shot. Now go." Catherine gave him a furious glare, took Ron, Luna and Ginny's hands and orbed away.

"I'm staying with you." Hermione told him defiantly.

"No!" Harry roared. "No, Mione, please... _please _go back to the castle!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Harry. We're wasting time, let's..." Hermione froze mid-sentence. There, barely ten feet from them, stood Lord Voldemort.

"Well, well, well..." Voldemort said, his eyes burning with hatred. "All this time... all this death... simply for this moment. I must say, in a way, I'm disappointed. I hadn't thought it would be this easy."

"It's not going to be." Harry growled.

"Don't be so sure." hissed Voldemort. In a flash, the Dark Lord vanished and reappeared behind Hermione. He placed the tip of his wand against her neck.

"I underestimated you, Ms. Granger. The use of that potion to survive my curse was very impressive."

"It won't be the last mistake you make." Hermione muttered. Voldemort didn't reply and instead glared at Harry.

"One false move, Potter, and she's dead. And this time, I guarantee you, it will _stick_."

Harry hesitated before speaking. If he did what he should, Hermione would die... but, hadn't Hermione said she was going to die anyway? His eyes fell on Hermione. She shook her head.

"Harry, if you love me then you'll send this fucking bastard straight to _hell_!" Hermione screamed.

"You don't want her," Harry said resolutely, as though simply stating it made it the truth. You want me. So, just... just let her go, and... and you can take me _and_ the school." Voldemort laughed.

"Oh, I'm going to do that anyway. Why not remove a thorn in my side as I go?" With incredible strength, Voldemort shoved Hermione away. She stumbled forward and found herself standing roughly halfway between Voldemort and Harry. She looked up at Harry, who was staring at her with terror in his eyes.

Before Harry could move, before he could even think of a way to try to stop what he knew was about to happen, Voldemort had cast his curse. Harry lunged forward, charging toward Hermione, racing the jet of deadly magical energy. He leapt forward, tackling Hermione to the ground. He waited for the sound of the spell to pass over him, but it never did.

He didn't even have to look to know that the spell had struck her before he could push her out of its way. He had failed her again. Voldemort turned and disappeared as Harry rolled off of Hermione's slender form. She looked so peaceful, just lying there that had he not known the truth, he would have thought she was sleeping. Harry gently cupped her cheek, which was still warm, and kissed her.

"I'm sorry, Mione... I'm so, so sorry." Harry slowly stood, wiping the tears from his eyes. A soft hand gripped his arm and he looked up.

"Kat..." he whispered.

"I know," she said softly. "Dad... there's nothing we can do. We've got to go."

"I can't just leave her... not again..."

"Again?" Catherine asked, staring at him as though he were insane. "What the hell are you talking about? Look, Paige has an idea of how to vanquish Voldemort, let's go!" Noticing Harry didn't want to leave Hermione; she grabbed his hand and orbed him to the Astronomy Tower where the others had all gathered.

"What sort of idea?" Harry asked Catherine as his daughter hurried across the room to the table where Paige and Piper were flipping through the Book.

"Paige thinks our best bet is a Power of Three spell," said Catherine. "I know we've never tried one, but…"

"Kat, the Power of Three is dead. It died with Hermione."

"I know," Catherine said quickly. "But it might be possible to get it back."

"And how's that?" Harry asked.

"Well," Paige began. "Power still lives even if its wielder has died. So, if we write a spell... maybe even rewrite the one to switch powers, one of us could get her powers. It wouldn't be the real Power of Three... but, it could work. If it does, we can use the Source vanquishing spell we wrote to destroy Voldemort." Harry listened to Paige's explanation while he watched the last of the defenders scatter and make a run for the school as Voldemort's advancing army charged forward.

"Fine," Harry said, turning back to face them. "Get to work on that spell. Get it done... and fast."

-.-

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Harry asked as he read over the spell Piper was showing him in the Book.

"No," she admitted with a degree of reluctance. "But it's the only plan we've got."

"So, I just say this whole thing?" Harry wanted to know.

"No, just the first part… I'll say the last bit."

"Okay," Harry said. "Here goes." He took a deep breath and said, "Powers of witches rise, Come to me across the skies, return the magic, give it back, all that was taken from the attack."

"What's yours is mine, let your powers cross the line, offer up your gift to share, transfer your powers through the air." Piper gave a slight wave of her hand and a telescope exploded.

"Damn, I didn't know how much I'd missed this." A light, icy cold, breeze wafted through the Astronomy tower. It had an almost unnatural feel to it, yet it was soft… comforting.

"Thanks Mum..." Catherine whispered.

"You think she's still with us?" Ron asked.

"The people who love us, never _really_ leave us." said Phoebe. "She's still here."

"Come on," Harry said, smiling as the wind tugged at him. "There's not much time. Kat, Piper... let's go." Harry took a potion bottle off the table.

"What's that for?" Catherine asked.

"Power stripping potion," Harry told her. "I doubt Voldemort will just stand there while we hit him with a cute rhyming couplet."

-.-

"So, it's come to this." Voldemort said. They stood in the Entrance Hall. Voldemort stood alone in the hall, eyeing his foes with an almost bored expression on his snakelike face. "I'd thought after I killed your precious mudblood, you would lose the will to fight."

"It seems you've underestimated us." Harry growled. "All killing Hermione did was make us desire your death all that much more. You'll never understand it, will you? Its love, you asshole. Love keeps us together, makes us stronger. It keeps us on our feet when we should be on our knees. It holds us, comforts us... and gives us a reason to fight."

"Love," Voldemort spat. "Love can't save you tonight."

"We've got more than love on our side," said Harry. He smiled. "After all... we're Charmed." Harry tossed the potion at Voldemort's feet. Piper pulled a small slip of paper out of her pocket. Harry, Catherine, and Piper leaned together to read.

"Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda, Astrid, Helen, Laura and Grace. Halliwell witches stand strong beside us. Vanquish this evil from time and space." For a moment, it seemed as though nothing had happened. Voldemort stood there, still eyeing them in a way that clearly suggested he thought they were insane. Then it happened. Voldemort was consumed in a massive fireball that blew out the windows and scorched the walls and ceiling. Phoebe, Paige, Ron, Ginny and Luna came hurrying down the stairs at the sound of the blast.

"It's over." Catherine told them as they approached. "It's finally over."

"I can't believe it." Ginny whispered. "After all this time... after all this loss... he's finally gone."

"Yeah," Harry said, balling up the parchment with the vanquishing spell written on it and tossing it away. "I just hope it was worth it..." He turned away and disappeared up the marble staircase. The others all exchanged glances, silently agreeing to leave Harry be for the moment.

"Hey, guys," said Paige, pointing out of the open oak front doors. "Take a look at this…" On the grounds, Death Eaters were dropping their wands. The last of Voldemort's army had surrendered.

-.-

In the days that followed that terrible battle, Hogwarts underwent extensive repairs. The collapsed Great Hall stood tall once again, reconstructed to its former glory. Although the school itself was repaired, pain and death still hung in the air and lingered in the corridors.

A week after the battle, Harry finally returned from wherever he had vanished to and rejoined his friends, but if the mood amongst the group had been low while he had been gone, it was nothing compared to how far south it had gone in the two days since he had returned. Ron, although deeply saddened like all the rest, attempted to lighten all their spirits late one Sunday afternoon.

"C'mon," Ron said anxiously as he and the others all sat around the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. "The war's over! We should celebrate!" No one moved or, in fact, even seemed aware that he had spoken.

"I don't feel like celebrating, Ron." Harry muttered, not looking up from the Book of Shadows.

"Maybe Ron's right, Harry," Luna said gently. "Hermione wouldn't want us to feel like this. She'd want us to be happy, to celebrate our victory."

"I've told you all already," Phoebe said wearily. "She's coming back, I can _feel _it."

"And I'm telling _you_, Phoebe, that it's just a feeling," said Harry sadly. "I watched her die. I want to believe that you share some sort of connection with her, but I don't. She's dead… and there's no reason to keep giving us all false hope that she'll just appear again one day."

"She _will_," Phoebe exclaimed, leaping from her seat and standing the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. "I know it! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she walked through those doors right now!" She pointed wildly toward the Great Hall's double doors, which were currently closed. When the others all turned to look at the doors, Hermione gently tapped Phoebe on her shoulder.

"What are we all staring at?" she asked curiously.

"We're all…" she paused and actually took in the young woman standing next to her. "Hermione!" She screamed, pulling the brunette into a nearly suffocating hug. The others turned to look in amazement, with stunned expressions on their faces. "I knew it! I knew it!"

"It's good to see you too, Phoebe," Hermione said as Phoebe released her and looked her over with a wide smile. Hermione, however, was looking over Phoebe's shoulder at Harry, who was halfway out of his seat, looking as though he couldn't believe his eyes.

"It really is me," Hermione said quietly. Harry moved closer to her, his hand outstretched. Phoebe stepped aside and let Harry brush his fingertips over Hermione's cheek. "See?" she said with a smile. Harry instantly engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug that caused Hermione to gasp in surprise. A thousand questions spun through Harry's mind, but none of them mattered just then.

Hermione looked at Catherine over his shoulder. She bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet, clearly eager to rush over and join the hug too. Hermione motioned her over with her finger. She jumped up and raced over to them, wrapping her arms around them, smiling happily.

"How?" Catherine asked when the three of them finally broke apart. "How are you... well... alive?"

"Well, the Elders saw how much good I'd done… not to mention the _amazing_ victory you all achieved against Voldemort. Congratulations on that last bit, by the way. So, the Elders decided there was still a lot of good I could do in the world… They made me a Whitelighter."

"What about your powers?" Piper asked. "We reversed the spell we cast to transfer them to me, but..."

"Hmm..." Hermione mused. "I don't know..." She gestured toward a glass on the table. It exploded into tiny shards. Hermione nodded, apparently satisfied.

"This all worked out_ incredibly_ well," Luna commented. They all laughed as Harry, Hermione and Catherine sat down at the table.

"Well, at least it's finally over." said Paige, buttering herself a biscuit. "Voldemort's gone. It's finished." The others all nodded their agreement. All except Catherine, who shook her head slowly.

"I don't know," she said with a grimace. "I've got this feeling... like there's something we've missed… I think we're just getting started."


	24. The Beginning, Part One

-.-

**Chapter 24**

**The Beginning, Part One**

-.-

The Wizarding World was in an uproar. Parties sprang up in every country and a massive victory celebration was held at Hogwarts. It seemed as though everyone in the magical community was in attendance. Singing, dancing, and screams of happiness filled the school. One would believe that the one responsible for such an event would have been present. Harry, however, was nowhere to be found. He stood atop the Astronomy Tower, gazing down at the celebrations below. A group of people on broomsticks shot overhead, releasing fireworks as they went. A gentle hand came to rest on Harry's shoulder.

"What are you doing up here, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Just thinking." Harry said simply, not turning to face her.

"About what?" Hermione pressed, leaning casually against the railing.

"About what Catherine said yesterday… That maybe, after all we've been through, we still aren't done. That this is just the beginning." Hermione sighed very deeply.

"Maybe it is," she said lightly. "Paige's friend Zook said that when everything is over and it seems you've won, that's when your true enemy will reveal himself. It could be that we're in for another fight. If there is another great evil out there, then we'll find it. Find it and stop it, just like Voldemort. So... let's not worry about it right now, alright? This is what we've wanted, what we've always wanted. Peace. We've got it, so let's enjoy it. Kat saved her future, our future. All we've got to do is make sure it stays that way."

"I suppose you're right, Mione." Hermione grinned and nodded.

"I usually am." Harry laughed at that.

"Yeah, well... You know, I guess I'm just...concerned that we're going to let our guard down. We think we've won and... it's possible that we're actually at our weakest point now."

"That's tomorrow's problem, Harry. Let's go down to the party." Hermione took Harry's hand and led him toward the door.

-.-

"Today is a day of freedom. A day of victory. Lord Voldemort is gone and we are free from his iron rule. Today is also a day of sadness. Many good men and women fell in the battle against Lord Voldemort. The death toll was incredibly high, far too high. Despite our victory, the war against the forces of evil is far from over. If what my daughter believes is correct, an evil far greater than Lord Voldemort lies in wait. Whatever it is, whatever awaits us, we will defeat it."

Harry's speech ended with thunderous applause. This was, perhaps, the best day in Harry's entire life. Voldemort was gone, the world was a safer place, Catherine could return to a good future, and he and Hermione could live happy, peaceful lives.

Despite what would or wouldn't come, Harry was determined to be happy until that time came, and besides, maybe it wouldn't be He and Hermione who would have to face it, but instead, Catherine and Elizabeth might rise in their place.

-.-

"Well, this is it." Catherine said, leaning against the railing of the Astronomy Tower. "My last night here..."

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Hermione said sadly. Catherine smiled and wrapped her arm around her mother's shoulders.

"Hey, don't sound so sad. The war is over, you should be happy."

"I know, it's just... I'm... really going to miss you. You've changed my life over the past few years in so many ways. Now you're leaving, and... I don't know where to go from here."

"To be honest, I wish I could stay," Catherine admitted. "These last few years have been the greatest years of my life. So much has changed... I don't even know what I'll be going back to."

"You're going back to a future that you always wanted. You saved us all, Kat. You really did."

"I didn't do it just for the future, I honestly only came back for myself... to give my own family a better life."

"Maybe so, but in doing that you saved many people from a horrible fate, and for that I am _very_ proud of you."

"Well, I... um... thank you... for loving me like you do, for giving me the strength to come here in the first place. But… of course, could always summon me back..." Catherine said idly. "You know… from time to time."

"I'm having a hard enough time letting you go now," said Hermione. "I wouldn't be able to do it on a regular basis."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," She cast a glance around the Astronomy Tower. "I wonder what this place will look like seventeen years from now? Mum, I… I'm scared. What… what if I get back and everything's wrong? What if it's worse than what I tried to change?"

"Then we'll have to find a way to fix it," said Hermione warmly.

"What if we can't?"

"Oh, Kat…" breathed Hermione. "We'd be able to fix it… we always do. Don't worry."

"How do you know that?" Catherine asked her.

"Because I'm holding on to the only thing that gets me through everything that's happened. The only thing that got me through the war."

"And what's that?" Hermione smiled.

"Hope," Catherine shook her head and smiled. Then her eyes widened.

"I forgot! Before I leave, there's something I need to do!" she exclaimed. "I want to transfer my powers."

"Kat..."

"Hey, when I leave the Power of Three goes with me," Catherine reminded her mother. "You're going to need it here. We'll use the same spell we used to transfer your powers to Piper!"

"And just who do have in mind to receive said powers?" Hermione asked.

"Oh," Catherine said with a smile. "I've got someone in mind."

-.-

"No… wait, not just no but _hell no_," Ginny shouted when Catherine and Hermione cornered her in the kitchen. "I don't want to be Charmed. I'll still with my wand, thanks very much."

"I told you she wouldn't be interested," said Hermione darkly.

"Why wouldn't you want to be Charmed?" Catherine asked in a surprised voice.

"Why wouldn't I want demons hell-bent, no pun intended, on brutally murdering me?" Ginny asked with disbelieving eyes. "Well, let's think about that for a minute… oh, right! Because I don't _want _to be brutally murdered!"

"You're sure we can't change your mind?" Hermione asked her.

"I'm completely positive. Thanks for the offer, but no…"

"Fine," Hermione said, grabbing Catherine arm and leading her to the kitchen door. "I knew we should've gone with Ronald in the first place," she told Catherine loudly as they walked. "I thought he'd be a better fit anyway…"

"Ron?" Ginny exclaimed from behind him. "You're going to ask _Ron_? He… he's not Charmed material, he… he's…" What Ron was they never found out. Ginny let out a roar of frustration and stormed past them, wrenching the Book out of Catherine's hands as she went.

"Let's go! Get the power transfer spell ready!" she shouted. "Ron, a better fit?" she muttered darkly as she walked away. "A better _git _is more like it…" Catherine stared openmouthed at Hermione as Ginny disappeared through the door.

"How did you…?"

"Sibling rivalry," said Hermione airily. "What girl _wouldn't _want to hold Charmed powers over her brother's head?" Catherine smirked.

"I'll have to remember that…"

-.-

"Okay, that's the potion done," said Hermione, waving the wispy white smoke away from her fresh concoction. She ladled a small amount into a vial and passed it to Catherine who stood by the Book of Shadows' pedestal. "Bottom's up!" she said brightly.

"Is the potion really necessary?" she said, sniffing the bubbling liquid and making a face. "What the hell is in this, anyway?"

"A little nux oil," said Hermione, looking over her ingredients. "Hemlock root, henbane, mandrake root, a dash of gypsy blood…"

"Forget I asked," Catherine muttered, waving her hands to shut Hermione up. "Let's just get this over with." Pinching her nose, she downed the contents of the vial and choked. "Ugh…." She groaned.

"Okay Gin, start chanting." Hermione instructed while patting Catherine's back as she coughed.

"Powers of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here," Ginny recited from the Book. Catherine gasped and whimpered as though in pain. After a moment, she stood up straight, breathing deeply.

"That… felt strange." she said weakly. She looked up at Ginny. "Well, give it a go." Ginny looked confused.

"I… don't know what to do," she said nervously.

"Try orbing," Catherine suggested. Hermione shook her head.

"Are you sure we should have her start out with orbing?" she asked. "Remember what happened when Harry first tried to orb and he ended up appearing in the ladies dressing room at the mall…"

"Oh," said Catherine with a grimace. "Right, I forgot about that… although, if he'd brought his Invisibility Cloak that might've been a good day for him. Say, does he still have that twitch he developed after that one woman tased him?" Hermione shrugged.

"It's getting better," she said. "Just don't make electric crackling noises with your mouth… scares the hell out of him."

"Oh, I'm going to get him _so _good," said Catherine. "Just let me… wait, where's Ginny?" It appeared that, during their conversation, Ginny had disappeared.

"Ginny…?" Hermione called apprehensively. A swirl of bluish light illuminated the attic and Ginny reappeared, holding her arms out to both sides in an effort to keep her balance.

"Whoa…" she breathed, looking at Hermione and Catherine with a wide smile. "Hey, did you girls know that no one's put any spells over either the White House or the Parliament Building to prevent people from entering by magic? We should work on that."

"Ginny, you _didn't_…" Catherine began, clasping a hand to her mouth.

"I did," Ginny said proudly. "It's amazing how little security there is in those buildings once you're inside. The Houses of Parliament weren't in session, but I walked right passed the President… nobody said a word." Hermione sighed.

"Gin, if Federal agents show up on the doorstep," she said wearily. "I swear I'm letting them take you."

-.-

Later that same evening, Hermione was to be found sitting on the sofa in the living room with the Book of Shadows open on her lap. She just reading the entry on Valkyries, Phoebe gently knocked on the doorframe, causing Hermione to look up at her.

"Can I come in?" Phoebe asked.

"Please," said Hermione, shifting over in her seat and gesturing to the seat beside her. Phoebe sat down beside her and stared rather blankly at her knees and said nothing. Hermione cleared her throat softly. "I'm guessing you want to have that talk I promised before the battle," she said idly.

"I… I'd like to…"

"Well, we don't need to," said Hermione kindly. "It doesn't matter anymore, not to me. If you need to hear it, Pheebs… I forgive you."

"That's it?" Phoebe asked, looking as though she had expected Hermione to be furious. "You're not even mad?"

"Not anymore," Hermione said quietly. "After everything that's happened over the past few days… well, let's just say that dying gives one a different view on things."

"You're a better person than me," said Phoebe. "If our positions were reversed, I'd kick your ass… well, I'd try but you could just blow me up, so…"

"I'd never blow you up," said Hermione with a small smile. "Freeze you, perhaps…" Phoebe didn't reply and Hermione soon returned to the Book. After several minutes, Phoebe reached out and brushed her fingertips over Hermione's cheek. The other girl shivered at the touch and her head snapped around to Phoebe.

"Okay," said Phoebe firmly. "Now I _know _you feel it too. Why does that happen every time we touch? Every time our eyes meet? What _is _it?" Hermione shook her head slowly.

"I really… have no idea, Phoebe," she said softly. "It's like… like… I don't know. How do you explain something like this?"

"I don't think you can," said Phoebe. "At first I thought I was going crazy. I was _sure _you felt it too, but I didn't want to say anything and look like a lunatic if you didn't." She paused, unsure if she should continue. "I knew you were coming back, Hermione. I knew it. I could feel it… and I can't explain that either."

"We're connected," Hermione said simply. "We're linked in some way that we can't understand… and maybe we're not supposed to. Maybe it's just part of who we are… who we're meant to be." Phoebe nodded slowly.

"I can live with that," she said with a smile. "If I have to share a magical link with someone, I can't think of anyone I'd rather share it with."

-.-

The following day dawned bright and warm. The inhabitants of the Halliwell manor spent the most part of the day preparing for Catherine's departure. At seven o'clock that night, everyone gathered in the attic to bid Catherine farewell. A Triquetra was drawn on the wall to be used as a portal for Kat's return trip.

"Good luck," Harry whispered to her as she hugged him. "And thank you. Thanks for all you've done for us." Catherine pulled away from her father and turned toward her mother.

"Enjoy your new life, Kat," Hermione said, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "You deserve it." Hermione reached into her pocket and retrieved a glass vial filled with a blue liquid.

"If anything doesn't seem right when you get there, use it to get back." She said, pressing the vial into her daughter's hand.

"Thanks, Mum," Catherine said. She turned and looked at the wall. "I guess it's time. Go ahead." Harry, Hermione and Ginny leaned together to read the spell off a slip of paper.

"In this place and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. Open the door through time and space, Create a path to another place."

A massive swirling wormhole appeared on its surface. Catherine walked forward, stopped and looked back at them all. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny, the Halliwells. She owed them all so much. She smiled and waved.

"Oh, Kat!" Hermione called suddenly when Harry nudged her. "I forgot, we... we wanted to ask... well, Harry and I were wondering if you... what you'd think about having a baby sister or maybe a brother?"

"Mum... you _do _know that I liked being an only child, right?" Catherine asked.

"It's just... Harry's got his heart set on three, so..." Hermione began. "If it's a girl, we've already got a name picked out."

"Well, what is it?" Catherine asked.

"Hope." She said softly. Catherine smiled.

"Of _course_," she said. With one last wave to the others, Catherine took a deep breath, and stepped into the spiraling vortex which snapped closed behind her.

"Think she'll be alright?" Hermione asked with a sigh. Harry smiled down at her.

"If I know Kat, and I do, she'll be fine. She's a lot like her mother, after all."

-.-

"Voldemort was a fool, and he paid for his lack of vision. I will not be so eager. _I _will wait until the time is right."

"And just when will that be?"

"To be the Source of All Evil, one would expect you to be a bit more... intelligent." Grindelwald muttered. "We will wait until the time is right. One year, maybe two... give them time to believe that they are safe. Then, and only then, we will strike. You, of course, may do what you wish. I will not stop you."

"My demons are anxious, of course," replied the Source. "We know the Power of Three has been reconstituted. The Charmed Ones will be the greatest threat to us."

"A threat, certainly, but there are many other threats out there," said Grindelwald. "Threats that are far more powerful than your Charmed Ones. In fact, I encountered one of those threats personally not all that long ago. A small, unimposing little thing too… and yet she could have the power to destroy us all."

"Perhaps an alliance…" the Source began, but Grindelwald cut across him.

"Her powers lie dormant for now," said Grindelwald. "Awakening such power for _any _reason would be… unwise. I'm not concerned about Aurora for the time being, and I do agree that the so-called Charmed Ones have a tendency to be far more trouble than they're worth. In time, your demons will once again be permitted to hunt them down… but for now, I must ask you to wait… until the opportune time."

-.-

"I don't even know where to start. I can't go back to 'll never trust me again. Grindelwald won't accept me either. Anyone who followed Voldemort in his assault on the castle is a traitor in his eyes. You are my last hope."

"Well, maybe I am... maybe I'm not. I'm not certain I trust you any more than Grindelwald. However, we'll see how this goes... for the time being." Zankou gazed at Draco Malfoy, who knelt before him.

"I understand your position, but I hope I can prove myself to you."

"Do as I ask and you will. Grindelwald must be stopped before he begins his plan... and turning to the Charmed Ones for help may be our only option."

-.-

"You don't have to leave, you know." Hermione said as she and Harry walked the Halliwell sisters and Leo to the front door.

"Yeah, we do," said Paige. "Magic's not part of our lives anymore."

"We gave up our powers to lead normal lives," said Phoebe. "We can hardly do that living here. Not to worry you, but this place is sort of like Demon Central." And so they all said their goodbyes and hugs were passed all around. It was Hermione and Phoebe who hugged last and it lasted much longer than most normal hugs tended to.

"I'll miss you," Phoebe whispered as they broke apart. Hermione simply smiled.

"If you ever need any help, don't be afraid to call us." Piper said as she strapped Chris into a stroller.

"We will." Harry said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders. Leo pulled open the door and stepped outside, the sister's followed him.

"Be seeing you." Piper said with a smile. Without another word, the Halliwells set off across the lawn. At the end of the sidewalk they stopped and waved at Harry and Hermione, who returned the gesture. They headed off across the street and disappeared from view. Hermione turned away and vanished deeper into the manor. Harry made to follow, stopped, and glanced up at the door. He smiled and gave a small wave with his hand. The door swung closed with a small jingling sound.

The blazing sun fell down upon the bustling city of San Francisco, a city whose fate, much like that of every other city, had hung in the balance. Rested on the shoulders of a few stalwart defenders that had held a fortress no one had ever heard of that brought about the end of a war that no one knew was even being fought.

For San Francisco, it was a normal Tuesday afternoon. For the magical world, it was a day of hope, of freedom, and of peace and the inhabitants of the Halliwell manor were relishing it. They had won. They thought the war was over… and although none of them knew it, it was only the beginning…


End file.
